Maple Sugaring

[Tuffoldhen]

We have a nice Maple Syrup Festival here close in a small town. Friends of ours made syrup for years, it's durn hard work but so good.

 

[Indiana hens]

Thanks for the pics Charlie. I can mark that one off the easy list! Looks like you tried to recruit the cat.

 

[wilds of pa]

Tuff, do live near BECKLEY, WV. i have a friend from the maple traders forum that has a pretty big sugar bush down there. Been talking with him for about 6 years now..

sure thing Indiana hens: however i recommend trying it, for the most part it can be fun and great exercise..

Charlie

 

[Tuffoldhen]

Quote:
Nope Charlie, Beckley is three hours south of me. I'm up here in the northern mountains.

Here is the small festival I was talking about.

http://www.smilingcountry.com/pickenswv/maplefest.htm

 

[wilds of pa]

Sandy, thanks for the link, i will talk to Brandon this weekend id bet he's been to that. Looks like a nice little festival for family and fun..

Charlie

 

[Birch Run Farm]

Charlie,

Can you please come up to Vermont and weld me a nice rig?

Bring some araucanas too.

I tried the hot plate thing, it wouldn't get hot enough to boil.

 

[blueskylen]

Hey - thanks for the Pickens festival link! I haven't been to it yet, but love to fish around that area - will go fishing and have pancakes with fresh maple syrup for breakfast - YUM!

 

[BeccaOH]

I thought about trying to tap a couple trees this year. Need to get on it, though, if I do.

I read this site:
http://www.prodigalgardens.info/march weblog.htm#Maple Sap

Sounds like there are options for using the sap before even going through the boiling process for syrup:

1. Drink it fresh, right out of the tree! Maple sap is a pure, raw, living food, low in calories and high in energy. It will chase the winter blahs away in a hurry!

2. Try making your coffee and tea with sap instead of water! (If you like them sweet, that is.) We make all our coffee, morning beverages, and tonic infusions with fresh sap when it's in season. Sassafras tea made with sap is a traditional spring tonic in Appalachia. Mints are especially good, too, but don't stop there! I even freeze a few gallons of sap to make yummy iced teas in the summer.

3. Try cooking your oatmeal or other hot cereal grains in sap. You won't need any additional sweetener.

4. This year I made baked beans, cooking them down in sap in a crock pot for several hours, adding a just a little salt and chopped onion.

I need to try these. Now to find the equipment.

 

[wilds of pa]

Ann if i was closer id surely help you make one, don't take to much to do if you got the right tools..the oil tank i got for free as well. however the steel plate i did purchase for the top of it..

I think i put about 8 hours into to building it, used a air powered saw to cut the tank in half and cut the rest of the items..

Then it was just a matter of getting everything tacked into place and then welding it up..then did some test boils with plain old h2o till i got the stack set up and was happy with the way the flue and stack worked.. the inside of the rig is built like a commercial evap to force the flames to hit the back pan as its going to the stack..I used clay to build up the inside of the rig..

Yes replacing the water with maple sap works great for coffee and tea, our youngest daughter likes to stick her tongue under the spiles and catch the sap coming right out of the tree.. Its funny cause i used to like doing that too when i first began making syrup..

Charlie

 

[Linda in San Diego]

Sigh - this may be one of the few disadvantages of living in SoCal heaven....

My Grandmother brought back gifts one time from your neck of the woods - literally - maple sugar leaf candy - it was the best.

I would reread Laura Ingalls Wilder's books just to learn maple sugaring. The image of them taking spoonfulls of syrup and drizzling it on the snow stays in my mind and sounds delicious.

Best of luck with these fun pursuits - I think I should go plant my garden tomorrow to make you all jealous of me!