Last week the sugar maple sap started to run, warmer days and freezing nights. The sap starts to defrost and run. My pictures will show to ways of tapping a tree, the old traditional, method using buckets to collect the sap. Modern, today methods, tapped into the sugar maples the hoses will connect and run into huge vats....it can resemble a maze of tubing through out the woods.
(click on images for full size photos) For more images click on my photo set NH Maple Sugaring - a photoset on Flickr
Hertiage Farm, Sanborton, NH
Sugar Bear Sugar House, Rt. 104, New Hampton, NH
The next procedure the sap is boiled down in evaporator over a wood fire. The sap will become concentrated. It takes forty gallons of sap to make one gallon of maple syrup.
Maple syrup has different grades (how the syrup runs, collected:
Grade A - First run, light amber
Grade A - Medium amber
Grade A - Dark amber end of the 4 to 6 weeks season
Grade B - Darker, stronger flavor the last of run.
Family Style Breakfast at Hertiage Farm, Sanborton, NH
For further information check this site New Hampshire Maple Producers' Association - Welcoming Page
9 comments:
That's very interesting, Betty, to learn of the modern way of maple-sugaring. Had heard of the bucket method, not of the hoses. Have a great Easter!
You just made me think about my breakfast of waffles I had this morning. Mmmmm, tasty!
Greg
yum..looks so good. Pretty place. My neighbors are from NH.
Betty, soon it will be time for me to run up to Vermont for some maple syrup...Yum. Nice to see how it's done. :)
Vicki
Oooh...I'd love to be right there....especially at the breakfast table!
Nancy
This was very interesting...
The boys live on syrup at our house....
Linda :)
Love the pictures. I love to take pictures and the camera give a whole different perspective. :o) http://journals.aol.com/buckoclown/Bucko
Betty,
Your blog made me so hungry and so sad for not being back in Boston so I could quickly drive up to NH and enjoy some maple goodness. I remember seeing many places at Christmas time when we drove up to get a tree and stopped at a little country store. We picked up some awesome maple-cured bacon that still is the standard by which we judge bacons. (in case you needed to know that fact)
Sigh... might just have to take a long road trip next year!
Veronica
journals.aol.com/vbonalesmd/emresident
YUMMY maple sugar..... I love living here in NH. Great shots!
(okay, I'll stop now... hehe)
Chelle
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