Happy Joe's Pizza & Ice Cream Parlor

Today we had the opprtunity to go on a pizza making tour at Happy Joe's in Rockford! First we had a tour of the restaurant, game room, cash register area and kitchen. Next, the kids were able to make their own pizza for lunch! There was only a charge per pizza making child of $6.50 which included their make your own pizza lunch, a fountain drink, a scoop of ice cream, and 4 game tokens for the game room.

Maple Syrup

When the nighttime temperatures are below freezing and daytime temperatures are above, the sap begins to flow and maples are ready to be tapped!

This was our third year going to Spring Valley Nature Center for this class. Our activities included a tapping demonstration, boildown and taste test.
We were scheduled to go a week ago but there were thunderstorms so our class was cancelled. Our St. Patrick's Day weather was perfect!

Puppet show

Tasting the sap

Practicing tapping a tree

looking down into the boiling sap

it takes 40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup!

To the cabin they go.

When I showed the D'Angelo label to D'Angelo he thought everyone should pay him to get a drink.

Can you taste the difference between real maple syrup and the imitation stuff you buy at the grocerey store?

D'Angelo discovered a caterpillar on the ground.