This does not look like sugaring and one old time sugarmaker told me that the last sap they boiled was really, really dark. Now some people say the taste is much better, but I don't care to go beyond Dark Amber.
My Dad used to say when he heard the frogs croaking that they were saying "Gather Your Buckets." Haven't heard any frogs croaking, but might be time.
To see what the 4 different grades are, click on the link below:
http://www.vermontmaple.org/grades.html (http://www.vermontmaple.org/grades.html)