Recycle, Reuse

You don’t need those postcard-perfect (and expensive) metal buckets to collect your sap. Morse says plastic milk jugs serve the same purpose. Just drill a small hole into the side opposite the handle to hang the jug; when it’s filled, you’ll have something to grab. Other low-cost items: retired five-gallon buckets for sap collection, used restaurant pans for boiling, and old cinderblocks or flagstones for the firepit.