Maggie's Farm

We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.

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    Sunday, February 12. 2017

    Maple Syrup and Maple Sugarin' season - An annual re-post

    Maple sap begins to flow when there are sufficient daily temperature swings between below and above freezing. That tends to be towards late February-early March in New England, depending on latitude and the weather. Curiously, Sugar Maple sap does not just flow up from the roots - it flows both downwards from the branches and up the trunk, depending on the time of day and the whim of the tree.


    Our Vermont friends have been busy getting ready for sugarin', so it's time for some info. We tend to think of Vermont maple syrup, but Canada is the major producer. We consume it abundantly in New England and do not approve of the cheap substitute goop in the supermarkets. We buy the real stuff by the gallon when we can, especially the Grades below Light Amber. You can buy the rather intense Grade B here, but I think I prefer the third level of Grade A - Dark Amber. This place sells all of the grades.





    • About the tree: Click here: Sugar Maple

    • Grading - Many of of us like the intensity of the lower grades , but you won't find them  in supermarkets. They are easy to find in Maple sugar country, though.  About Maple sugar grades

    • $ - We pay retail in the $20s/gallon, but the farmers get between $2-$3/gallon, usually. More in a "bad" year.

    • When it looks like it has gone bad, it hasn't. Give it a light boil, skim it, and it's fine. Better yet, use it before any mold grows on the surface.

    • Besides on waffles, French Toast, and pancakes, what can you do with it?


    - Put it on oatmeal like the Pilgrims did.
    - Pour some into winter squash halves with a pat of butter and bake, like my Indian ancestors probably did.
    - Drizzle some over fresh-fallen snow. Instant Maple popsicles with the power to pull out all of your fillings and crowns and to enrich your dentist.
    - Drizzle some over Pumpkin Pie. Wow. Tom taught us that.
    - Drizzle it over salmon, with some butter, before baking

    Posted by Bird Dog at 13:05 | Comments (56) | Trackback (1)

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    Thoughts On A Sunday
    Beezlebub is on vacation this week and will be spending it down at the WP In-Laws, helping around their place and getting all the taps, tubing, and buckets set up to collect sap from sugar maples to make maple...
    Weblog: Weekend Pundit
    Tracked: Feb 21, 19:23

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