Dear Friend,
Twenty-four hour sap boiling sessions, broken hydrometers,
scorched pans, burned hands, spilled sap and endless mistakes are the reminders
of our early experiences with making maple syrup. I call those early production
years rough and rustic but I persevered and bucket-by-bucket I developed a back
yard hobby with my mate into a fulltime loving endeavor that keeps thriving and
expanding.
We first began with makeshift tarps, recycled barrels, and
secondhand buckets that came with an old used instruction book. Today we use
computers and a brand new stainless steel evaporator. People think it's a hoot when they see my excitement over this piece of equipment. My heart pounds, my
cheeks flush, and I begin to get this huge grin on my face whenever we fire it
up. I know it is love.
It takes a certain kind of hardiness to be a producer
because it is a laborious undertaking with ceaseless hours and
sometimes-merciless cold conditions. We had to ready the trees one year in
single digit temperatures and tromp through three feet of snow. But is it worth
it? The answer is yes because the process creeps into your soul and becomes a
part of your life. Nothing compares to the rich delicious aroma of sap boiling
down to thick syrup in the evaporator. But not only does maple syrup smell
luscious, it tastes heavenly.
It is a natural sweetener that breaks down in your digestive
system easily. It has
different grades and flavors from the mild light amber to the robust maple dark
amber, enabling me to use it in most of my cooking and enjoy it on top of
waffles. It is so much better than white sugar and the lighter syrup sweetens
without flavoring. It is also full of beneficial minerals.
So stay with me this month and tour my sugarhouse and sugarbushes. I will share with you my experiences, both joyful and trying. I will
share with you thrilling stories surrounding maple syrup production. I will
share with you how to make maple syrup, And, most importantly I will share with
you my recipes, all tried and true.
RSVP
Jude
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