Sugaring season

New England roads now are dotted with pails, this year put out earlier because of the warm winter.

Farmers who produce hundreds or thousands of gallons of maple syrup have necessarily adopted ever more elaborate equipment. But the process to make just enough syrup for a family (and maybe a few friends) is simple, satisfying, and does not require reverse osmosis.

Make sure the hole angled downward.

For sap to flow, the temperature has to be above freezing during the day but drop below freezing during the night.

One Drip at a Time

Under a Watchful Eye

Adding to the Supply

Straining Out Some Debris

Since the stove is going anyway (or use an outdoor setup)...

....evaporate away most of the water.

Enough to Last for Some of the Year.

Here is a recipe for Whole Wheat Pancakes:

• 1 cup organic whole wheat flour
• ¼ cup unprocessed wheat bran
• 4 Tablespoons raw wheat germ
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon Turbinado sugar
• 1 ¾ cups whole milk
• 1 egg
• 1 Tablespoon canola oil

As well as our maple syrup, we use fresh milk from a local dairy farm and our own free range eggs. Then, we just put a small amount of butter a hot pan before each scoop of pancake batter goes in.
 

If it is maple sugaring season, it must also be lambing season!