Every year our neighbors down the way make upwards around 90 gallons of maple syrup. I didn’t realize the around the clock attention that cooking syrup requires. Their entire family works together taking shifts so that they can continue cooking the syrup through the night. Depending on the season, they can collect sap and make syrup for 2 to 6 weeks.
They use fire to cook the maple syrup, and they use these doors to help control the heat. If the fire gets too hot the syrup can boil over.
The sap when it comes from the tree look as clear as water.
As the syrup cooks down, more sap is continually added.
There is a gauge on the outside of the pan that tells how thick the syrup is. When the gauge gets to a certain point then they know it is time to draw off the finished syrup.
We got to taste some of the syrup. It was oh so good! I think tonight we’ll eat pancakes for supper with maple syrup & we’ll read the book “Pancakes for Supper” by Anne Isaacs.
Fleecenik Farm said,
March 6, 2010 @ 7:26 pm
The sap is really flowing at our house today. 5 gallons by noon time from 18 trees. We cook ours down on an old wood cookstove in our back yard. It is the beginning of the growing season for us, that slow ritual that helps get geared to the growing season.Enjoy you pancakes!