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 before baking

Posted by Bird Dog in Food and Drink, Our Essays at 14:05 | Comments (22) | 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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Nearby where I live in Michigan is this,
http://www.vermontville-mi.gov/
where they hold a Maple Syrup Festival every year.
I love maple syrup.

#1 geoffb on 2008-02-07 10:26 (Reply)

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe the Indians had butter, BD.

#2 The Dylanologist on 2008-02-07 13:45 (Reply)

Course they did, Elk butter.

#2.1 BD on 2008-02-07 14:10 (Reply)

Having only lived in a maple syrup producing state for about 2 1/2 years, we recently discovered something called maple cream. Uh, what does one do with it? Eat it on biscuits?

#3 rightwingprof (Link) on 2008-02-07 16:06 (Reply)

Don't know.

#3.1 BD on 2008-02-08 08:19 (Reply)

Maple sugar and snow: There's the end-of-season ski race called the sugar slalom, held at Stowe in April. This is a racer favorite:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/redjar/126146432/in/set-72057594103239311/

As for maple cream, eat it straight or on biscuits or ....

#4 TRM on 2008-02-07 20:26 (Reply)

I love the painting on this post. Where is it from?

#5 wph on 2008-02-07 20:34 (Reply)

For a while, we will be rotating our headline images with Currier and Ives prints from the mid-1800s.

#5.1 BD on 2008-02-08 08:21 (Reply)

Vermont commemorates it on their quarter, depicting a man peeing on a tree.

#6 rhhardin (Link) on 2010-02-20 13:15 (Reply)

Thanks for the fine info on maple syrup. It's very expensive in Tn so I rarely buy it.It is surprising the farmers only get $2-3 per gal. I'm going to check but I think it's $1 per oz here.

#7 RickTn on 2010-02-20 13:21 (Reply)

Pies, frostings, candies, homemade ice cream, Bar-B-Q sauce, baked beans, roast poultry and pork glaze... I'm getting hungry! The acorn squash is particularly tasty! My brother loves banana/maple cream pie.

Both my grandmother and mother-in-law could go through a jug in no time. My father wouldn't start a Bar-B-Q without it. Nothing worse than trying to find the good stuff in fall when planning for holiday cooking. Stock up now.

#8 jma on 2010-02-20 13:57 (Reply)

The missus has told me to learn where this is that we could aquire our needs for that 20/gallon sort of price....

#9 Rodger on 2010-02-20 14:33 (Reply)

Scrapple, thinly sliced and fried to a deep golden brown, then drizzled with maple syrup. The only way to eat the stuff.

Though once upon a time leftover cold linguine with maple syrup was a quick way to get a breakfast buzz.

#10 Dan D on 2010-02-20 20:48 (Reply)

Tuktuyaaqtuuq Toddy

1/2 oz. Kahlua
2 oz. Rum, overproof/151 proof
to fill Water
1 tbsp. Butter
1 oz. Maple Syrup

Put water, butter and syrup in a big (12oz.+) mug. Nuke it until it is just about to boil. Take it out of microwave, add Kahlua and Rum.

#11 Nahanni on 2010-02-20 22:00 (Reply)

Maple Cookies

2 sticks (8 oz.) softened butter (use unsalted for baking)

� cup granulated sugar

1 large egg yolk

2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup

� teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 � cups coarsely chopped nuts

1. In a large bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer until fluffy. Gradually add the sugar while continuing to beat.

2. In a small bowl, mix the egg yolk, vanilla and maple syrup. Slowly add to the butter mix, beating at low speed until well-mixed.

3. Stir in the flour and nuts by hand. Divide the dough in half and flatten into discs. Wrap and refrigerate at least two hours or overnight unless you wish to freeze it for baking later. If you freeze the dough, let it thaw in the fridge overnight. Otherwise, let it stand about five minutes at room temp to slightly soften. Then roll it out between two sheets of waxed paper until it�s � inch thick.

4. Cut into the shapes you wish with cookie cutters. Bake on parchment lined cookie sheets for about 25 minutes at 325 degrees until golden. Cool on wire racks. Store in tightly sealed tins.

#12 jma on 2010-02-20 23:43 (Reply)

One of the delicious things I miss down here in Texas is Philadelphia scrapple thinly sliced, as Dan D says, fried a deep golden brown and drizzled with maple syrup. We just don't have that down here in Texas, just as we don't have real, glorious weisswurst [delicate, perishable veal sausage] during the Oktoberfest days. And I miss them both.

Of course, one must not inquire too deeply about what actually goes into scrapple, or it would probably put you off, just as watching sausage being made would give you a distaste for the stuff. At least for awhile. But don't think about that. Just thank God for small but tasty favors if you are lucky enough to be served thin-sliced scrapple fried to golden brown and sauced with maple syrup.

Count your blessings.

Marianne

#13 Marianne Matthews on 2010-02-21 13:47 (Reply)

Love Scrapple, thanks to my Philly kinfolk, and never thought a second about what was in it until my husband read the wrapper. No one here will eat it but my momma will still fry it up if we are at her home for a holiday. Yum!

In my quest to limit my addiction to white sugar, I learned that maple syrup sweetens coffee very well. You would think it would taste maple-y, but it doesn't. It goes very well with coffee. Down here in the South it is expensive, though, so I do buy whatever is on sale for that purpose and save the better stuff for pancakes.

I am definitely going to try some of these recipes, especially the Toddy. :)

#13.1 g on 2011-03-10 17:34 (Reply)

Where's the $20 a gallon syrup?
I'm sure the $60 a gallon stuff is good but, really, I'd really much rather pay $20.

#14 BlogDog (Link) on 2010-02-21 14:27 (Reply)

This is an outrage. Oh to be able to buy this elixer for 20 little US dollars a gallon.

Suffering forward in Missouri....

#14.1 Rodger on 2010-02-23 11:47 (Reply)

Maple Syrup on Vanilla ice cream.

Oh it's soooooooo good.....

#15 Ragin' Dave (Link) on 2010-02-21 23:08 (Reply)

Maple cup eggs:

1 slice bread per egg, crust cut off
eggs
50/50 mix maple syrup and melted butter, blend well and keep warm

With a rolling pin or bottle, flatten the bread as much as possible. Dredge in the syrup/butter mixture until saturated. Press into cupcake pan to fill and conform the cavity. Drop in a little of the mixture, then an egg. Bake at 350 until edges are browned and egg is done to taste- should not be hard, though. With a knife, free the bread from the cup and lift out. Enjoy. You can shave in a little gruyere or parmesan or flaked ham or flaked smoked salmon under the egg if you like. Do NOT use tarragon-not compatible.

#16 Khornet on 2011-03-10 14:46 (Reply)

Very expensive here in the middle east - works out to 10 dollars for a pint/500ml.

My Canadian brother-in-law brings 1/2 gallon jugs every time he flies back.

I heard they have freeze-dried maple sugar. I'd like to try ordering that. We have water.

MAPLE-ONION POULTRY

Works with whole chicken or holiday turkey.

Fry down onions and garlic until they are soft, add maple syrup. Use your stick blender to puree it.

Now spread it under the skin of your bird, and roast.

#17 Ben David on 2011-03-10 15:12 (Reply)

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Thursday, March 10. 2011

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