Maple Syrup: a Sweet Sign of Early Spring by Paula Mchugh
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THE TM 911 Franklin Street Weekly Newspaper Michigan City, IN 46360 Volume 21, Number 8 Thursday, March 3, 2005 Maple Syrup: A Sweet Sign of Early Spring by Paula McHugh Maple sugaring time is when daytime temperatures rise above the 32 degree freezing mark, and then drop again below freezing during the nighttime. Which means that we are now heading into that time of year in early, early spring when the sap starts flowing. Hurray! Hurray for two reasons: who doesn’t look forward to the promise of warmer days ahead, and who doesn’t appreciate the sweetness of pure maple syrup dribbled over a stack of pancakes? Yet, how many of us are aware that we could be tapping our own maple trees about now–if we are fortunate enough to have maples on our property? A recent program about everything you ever wanted to know about maple sugar farming was recently presented at the Deep River County Park Visitor Center by Historic Programs Coordinator Joanna Shearer, and the Beacher was there to learn and pass on a few tips for maple sugaring wannabes. Let’s get the trivia out of the way and tell you right now that Vermont is NOT the number one state for maple sugar pro- duction. New York claims that title. But here in the Midwest, Michigan ranks high as a maple syrup producer. Parke County Indiana, home of the most covered bridges, is a large syrup-producing area. And locally, Deep River Park produced nearly 500 bottles of the sweet syrup last year. Yes, they sell it in their gift shop but as Joanna said, it flies off the shelves. Not to worry. If you are the proud owner of a few maples and lucky enough to lay claim to sugar maples in particular, you can make your own maple syrup. Joanna warned us that the process is labor-intensive, yet she gave members of her Maple Tree Tapping Workshop step-by-step instructions. Deep River County Park has a large variety of maple trees throughout its 1200 acres. Maple sugar farming at the park usually begins in early-to-mid February. Maple Syrup Continued on Page 2 THE Page 2 March 3, 2005 THE 911 Franklin Street • Michigan City, IN 46360 219/879-0088 • FAX 219/879-8070 In Case Of Emergency, Dial e-mail: News/Articles - [email protected] email: Classifieds - [email protected] http://www.bbpnet.com/ PRINTED WITH Published and Printed by TM Trademark of American Soybean Association THE BEACHER BUSINESS PRINTERS Delivered weekly, free of charge to Birch Tree Farms, Duneland Beach, Grand Beach, Hidden 911 Shores, Long Beach, Michiana Shores, Michiana MI and Shoreland Hills. The Beacher is also Subscription Rates delivered to public places in Michigan City, New Buffalo, LaPorte and Sheridan Beach. 1 year $28 6 months $16 3 months $10 1 month $5 A maple sugar farmer may dispute which process is the most difficult–tromping through slush and muck to tap dozens of trees, or actually boiling the sap down to its proper syrupy consistency. At the National Lakeshore’s annual Maple Sugar Festival, demonstrators use big kettles on an open fire to boil the sap. At Deep River, a somewhat more “modern” wood fired evap- orator, housed in its own sugar shack, does the work of boiling. But for us amateurs, a campstove and a flat, large-surfaced pan will work. Just as long as the boiling process is done outside, Joanna said. Otherwise, the steam created will lift wallpaper off kitchen walls and make the kitchen smell pretty bad, too. One class member reported that he used a turkey fryer last year, but his results were disastrous, he said. Best to stick with a camp stove. Joanna Shearer, Historical Programs Coordinator at Deep River, presented the Maple Tree Tapping Workshop at the park. “Anyone can do it,” Joanna said. Maple Syrup Continued from Page 1 “If the days and nights are too warm, the sap with ferment,” Joanna explained, adding that fermented sap is spoiled sap. The maple sap happened to be run- ning freely on the day of the workshop. Temperatures reached close to 50 degrees by midafternoon when Walter Donald led us outside to learn the art of tree tapping. By that time, Joanna had taught us: a) how to iden- tify a winter maple and measure the tree to check if it was at least 11 inches in diameter; b)how to bore at a slightly upward angle, tap in the spile, and place a bucket under the spout; and c) how to boil the sap to turn it into syrup. Walter points how to recognize tap marks from past years. “Never bore in the same place,” he said. Keep in mind that it takes 10 gallons of sap to equal just one quart of syrup. Walter Donald and his crew at Deep River tap hundreds of gallons of sap during a good season. While sugar maples are the ideal, red and silver maples can be tapped for syrup making. A maple tree can support more than one tap if its diam- eter is large enough. The same tree can be tapped year after year as long as it is not bored in the same spot, because tapping does not hurt the tree in any way. The sap that runs from the tree looks, and even tastes like water. Which makes us wonder how our ances- tors ever figured out this watery liquid could be made to taste so good. Visitors can find out during several Walter Donald, park crew chief who leads the sugaring operations, shows Maple Syrup programs coming up (see them at the some of the class members how to determine if this maple is tappable. end of this story). THE March 3, 2005 Page 3 Open ‘til 6 p.m. Evenings www.littlehousefashions.comElegant Apparel for the [email protected] Conscious Woman Women’s Apparel All Clearance 60% Off the original Price PLUS an Additional Walter demonstrates how to drill a sap hole. 20% Off the Sale Price Pendleton® Contemporary shorter length jacket with vented cuffs to wear down or turn back. After drilling, the Long the spile is set into choice of the hole. The accomplished bucket is ready tailors, to collect the smooth, sleek sap. sharkskin is the ultimate in lighter weight suiting fabrics. Soft, sturdy rayon and pure virgin wool are intricately woven into this light, luxurious fabric. Ask about matching pants and skirt. Fully lined. Rayon/wool/silk Dry clean. Imported of our own USA fabric Missy 22'' long Petite 20'' long $194 NEW SPRING ARRIVING DAILY! Stop in and use your Fun Spring Bucks! Custom Monogramming Available 409409 Alexander StreetStreet, LaPorte, IN 326-8602 Our camera caught the first drip of the watery sap. It has a way to go On Hwy 35 - 5 Blocks South of Lincolnway yet before it becomes syrup worthy for table use. TurnTurn Rightright on AlexanderAlexander Monday-FridayMonday - Friday10 am 9:30to 6 pmto 7 Saturday Saturday 9:30 9:30 am to to5 5 pm Maple Syrup Continued on Page 4 THE Page 4 March 3, 2005 Maple Syrup Continued from Page 3 The sap needs to reach a boiling point of 219 degrees–no more, no less, to produce the sweet liquid that makes pancakes or French toast or waffles taste so good. To be “pure” maple syrup, the boiled down sap has to be 66% sugar by national standards, Joanna said. If the sap boils beyond that, sugar crystals form, and if less, then mold may form. If a sugar farmer tries to collect sap after the tree buds, then the sap, called “buddy,” becomes cloudy and smells bad. Fancy grades of syrup, bought mostly by confectioners, are a light amber color, which means that they have been processed very fast. The rest of us usually use the dark or medium Grade A version. Joanna suggested that when buying commercial syrup, to check the labels to find out just how “pure” the item is. Often, corn syrup leads the ingredients with anywhere from Deep River has a wood fired evaporator in its own sugar shack that is 2-4% pure maple syrup mixed in. Pure maple syrup used to make its maple syrup. The park offers tours and demonstrations will keep indefinitely if the bottle is kept sealed. in March so that visitors can see the sugar farming operation first-hand. Once opened, it’s good for about one year. The gift shop at Deep River Park Visitor Center sells spiles, filters and buckets for personal maple syrup farming. The park’s sugar shack opens for weekday demonstrations from March 3-15, and those ($1) interpretive tours are by reservation only. On the weekends of March 5/6 and March 12/13, the Maple Syrup Time guided tours and other activities are open to all. A special all-indoor program for seniors is slated for two Mondays: March 7 or March 14. The fee-based ($2) program includes refreshments and a viewing of the video, “Maple Sugar Farming.” For more information about these programs, call 1-800- GRISTMILL. Deep River County Park & Woods Historic Gristmill is located at 73rd Avenue and County Line Road, Hobart. Take I65 to U.S. 30 east and turn left at the stoplight at Lake Park Avenue. Turn right at 73rd and follow the road to the Visitor Center entrance. Belly up, belly up to the counter, boys and girls, moms and dads. Joanna offered a sampling of the parks’ pure maple sugar to all who attended the workshop.