Kitchen as Sugar Shack

After 2 days of sap collection, we had enough to fill our largest pot to boil down to maple syrup. Luckily it was a holiday and NS Power energy rates are half price, because it took about 6 hours of stove-top boiling to reduce the sap down to a cup of syrup. All day long the kitchen was transformed into a warm steamy maple-scented sauna.

This was the first time I had made maple syrup on my own, so I followed mummy's instructions: boil it until it looks right. Boiling down sap is a lot like watching paint dry or snow melt; however, once it starts to thicken, it requires a watchful eye so it doesn't burn. Near the end of the process, the bubbles acquire a different aspect - difficult to describe, but you'll see what I mean when you try it yourself.

This maple syrup has a unique taste quite different from commercially-produced syrups - perhaps a different type of maple tree or perhaps as grapes to wine, the flavour of the syrup is influenced by the soil composition.

liquid gold

Hopefully another pot will be filled by next weekend. I found these great recipes for using maple syrup, but I think this some of this batch will go on some crêpes for breakfast tomorrow morning.