Hi Puzzlers,
Did you know that March, in many states, is considered to be the maple month? I think this is great, as it gives you yet another reason, besides ushering in spring and warmer weather, to love the month. Growing up in northern New Hampshire it was a tradition to go to the sugar shack every March and watch the sapping and syrup making process. That was fun and interesting, but it was the gift store with all it’s sweet treats on the way out, that solidified the experience. We would always purchase some “real” syrup and maple candy. Just thinking about it gets my mouth watering. I hope I can resist the urge to go to the nearest sugar house and buy a trunk full of the sweet stuff. Oh will power, don’t fail me now!
No one knows exactly how and when the first maple tree was tapped but it is commonly believed to have been the Native Americans. They would make a V-shaped cut into the tree and insert a reed or piece of rolled up birch bark to run the sap into a birch bark bucket or clay pot. Hot stones were then added to make the sap boil. The sap was commonly processed past the syrup stage to create crystallized sugar, which does not spoil when stored. Sap is very perishable and must be boiled at once.
Sap also needs to be boiled because it is approximately 98% water. Traditionally this happens in a sugar house, which is an uninsulated building that has a steam vent in the roof and enough room for the equipment and wood/fuel. The water in sap is removed by heating the sap in an evaporator (a large sheet metal pan) over a fire. It takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup! It is boiled longer to make the maple sugar. All that boiling creates the massive amount of steam you see coming from the sugar houses vent.
Maple syrup can be stored short term, if unopened, in your cabinet but once it has been opened it needs to be refrigerated to prevent molding. But even if it does mold, just scrape it off the top and reheat it to 180 degrees to re-sterilize. If you plan on storing your syrup for an extended period of time it should be stored in the freezer to prevent darkening and flavor loss. Click here for more on maple syrup.
Puzzler what do you think about White Mountain Puzzles doing a scenic Sugar Shack puzzle?
Did you know that March, in many states, is considered to be the maple month? I think this is great, as it gives you yet another reason, besides ushering in spring and warmer weather, to love the month. Growing up in northern New Hampshire it was a tradition to go to the sugar shack every March and watch the sapping and syrup making process. That was fun and interesting, but it was the gift store with all it’s sweet treats on the way out, that solidified the experience. We would always purchase some “real” syrup and maple candy. Just thinking about it gets my mouth watering. I hope I can resist the urge to go to the nearest sugar house and buy a trunk full of the sweet stuff. Oh will power, don’t fail me now!
No one knows exactly how and when the first maple tree was tapped but it is commonly believed to have been the Native Americans. They would make a V-shaped cut into the tree and insert a reed or piece of rolled up birch bark to run the sap into a birch bark bucket or clay pot. Hot stones were then added to make the sap boil. The sap was commonly processed past the syrup stage to create crystallized sugar, which does not spoil when stored. Sap is very perishable and must be boiled at once.
Sap also needs to be boiled because it is approximately 98% water. Traditionally this happens in a sugar house, which is an uninsulated building that has a steam vent in the roof and enough room for the equipment and wood/fuel. The water in sap is removed by heating the sap in an evaporator (a large sheet metal pan) over a fire. It takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup! It is boiled longer to make the maple sugar. All that boiling creates the massive amount of steam you see coming from the sugar houses vent.
Maple syrup can be stored short term, if unopened, in your cabinet but once it has been opened it needs to be refrigerated to prevent molding. But even if it does mold, just scrape it off the top and reheat it to 180 degrees to re-sterilize. If you plan on storing your syrup for an extended period of time it should be stored in the freezer to prevent darkening and flavor loss. Click here for more on maple syrup.
Puzzler what do you think about White Mountain Puzzles doing a scenic Sugar Shack puzzle?
Happy Puzzling!
