I took the dogs up to the sugarhouse this morning — the snow is still deep enough that it’s hard to find a good place for a long walk that doesn’t involve snowshoes. We did a nice loop up through the sugarbush, on trails that Fraser and his tapping crew have packed down for us. (A good time was had by all!)
On the way back, I stopped in to the sugarhouse and found Fraser getting things ready for another boiling session. Sap is running, even...
The good news: the sap is running and boiling has begun!
The Sugarhouse, in full swing!
The bad news: we had a wicked icestorm, and there’s been a bit of damage to the sugarbush.
A little ice on the lines themselves is no big deal.
But when the trees get a heavy load of ice — and get stressed by high winds (which also came with this storm) — things fall down. And lines get damaged.
This isn’t anything new; every few seasons, nature throws a...
Containers of un-opened maple syrup can be stored in a cool, dry location, out of direct sunlight, for up to one year.
Maple syrup should be stored in the refrigerator or freezer after the container has been opened. Un-opened maple syrup can also be stored in the refrigerator or freezer. When stored in the refrigerator or freezer, opened or unopened containers of maple syrup will retain their flavor for up to one year.
Maple syrup does not freeze...
I like baking with maple syrup — it’s a natural sweetener with its own subtle flavor, and it has the added advantage that it’s perceived by most adult palates as less overpoweringly sweet than granulated cane sugars (like white or brown sugar).
Nowhere are these attributes more apparent than in pecan pie, which is just about my all-time favorite pie. Caramelized sugars coating toasted pecans, atop a sweet custard and flaky crust…wow. (Disclosure...
Yesterday Catherine and I had resolved to go walking into the sugarbush and cut a small spruce tree for the holiday. Then Felicity called and invited us to join her and Fraser on a rather more ambitious tree-finding expedition. So a small walk with the dogs turned into one of those magic family outings: four adults, two kids and three dogs.
We met at the Hidden Springs “pump house” (where sap from the HSM sugarbush is collected and concentrated...
Since I married into the Cooper-Ellis family (Catherine and I celebrated our 30th anniversary last May, and the birth of our first grandchild last month!) I’ve been one of those immensely fortunate people who has more than enough maple syrup. I have used this wealth in all the usual ways – Catherine’s Swedish Pancakes with fruit, yogurt and some warm Fancy are a particular favorite. But I’ve long enjoyed cooking, and I’ve found that maple syrup...
Beautiful morning, but chilly (26F.) Just a skim coat of ice in the puddles, nothing on the pond.
The dogs and I set out for a long-ish walk (about 2 miles) through the sugarbush. I knew it was long enough because, at the end, even Sadie (the young yellow Lab) was just walking — not running ahead or begging me to throw a stick.
