Thursday, March 26, 2009

Finishing our Maple Syrup



We have been boiling down the Maple sap every day outside using fallen branches from the garden and finishing off inside on the stove, filtering between each step. As the sugar concentration rises, the boiling point of the solution rises. When it boils at 7.1 degrees Fahrenheit above the boiling point of water it's ready to filter one last time into glass jars. When these had cooled down we had lovely amber Maple Syrup! We boiled down about 50 gallons of sap to get just over a gallon of syrup.
Next step - try it on the Buttermilk Pancakes.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

The Sap Is Rising


Here's Nadia "tapping" one of the two giant Sugar Maples in front of our house. At this time of year Maple sap can be collected and boiled down to make Maple Syrup. It takes 40 gallons of sap to produce 1 gallon of syrup. Let's see how much we get!

This weekend and next there are many opportunities to see Maple Syrup production in action - go to http://www.mapleweekend.com/ for a list of locations. We want to drive into the Catskills to 'Oliverea Schoolhouse Maple' (picture at top) and 'Remsburger Maple' are also just 20 minutes away at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds in Rhinebeck.



Wednesday, March 4, 2009