March is one of my favorite months and for several good reasons.  March brings the beginning of gardening season, my birthday, my son’s birthday, sometimes Easter and Maple Sugaring Month!  Maple Sugaring Month celebrates the annual tradition of making Maple Sugar products such as Maple Syrup, Maple Cream and Maple Candy.  Now, I am not talking about Maple Flavored Syrup, Cream and Candy, that you will find in grocery stores and in many restaurants.  I am talking about real, authentic, genuine Maple Products made by local producers. 

Sugar House is the common term used to describe local Maple Syrup producers.  These Sugar Houses are usually family owned and operated and have been for several generations.  Each seasoned generation passes along their knowledge and skill to the next in order to keep the family business going strong.  The younger generations often add some new technology to the process to help make it more efficient.  The family works together to produce a local product for their community to enjoy.  It really is a true farm to table process.   

 The Process

Real Maple Syrup can only be made in the late winter and early spring. Cold nights and warm days will cause the sap within a Maple Tree to run, which mostly happens in the month of March. Maple Syrup production is a four step process outlined below.

1. Tapping the trees
2. Collecting the sap
3. Boiling the sap to make syrup
4. Filtering and bottling the syrup

Tapping trees involves drilling a small hole into the tree, roughly half an inch,  to let the sap drain out.  This is usually done with a drill. Maple Trees are commonly tapped in March.  Sap collection involves hanging a bucket off the tree to catch the sap which will run out of the hole you tapped.  More sophisticated and modern Maple Sugaring operations run hoses from the tap holes of the trees to a common collection barrel, which can be emptied all at once, as opposed to emptying several buckets.  This is a time saver for sure.  Once the tree is tapped and the sap is collected, the sap is then boiled.  The boiling process takes about 6 hours and boils the water out of the sap so that what is left is a thick sugary liquid.  Once the boiling process is complete, the sugary liquid, or now maple syrup, is filtered and poured into containers for storage and refrigeration. This process can be laborious and time consuming, but the end result is oh so worth it!   

Mother Nature 

Real Maple Syrup takes time, the cooperation of Mother Nature and much work.  As I mentioned, the boiling process for Real Maple Syrup takes about 6 hours. It takes about 40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of Maple Syrup.  One tree can produce about 1 gallon of sap per day so you need lots of sap to make a small amount of Maple Syrup.  Mother Nature also plays a big role in Maple Syrup production.  The nights, throughout the late winter, need to be below 32 degrees and preferably in the 20’s.  The daytime temps need to be in the 40’s.  There are many years that Mother Nature does not cooperate and Maple Syrup Production is poor.  The opposite is also true.  Needless to say, it is understandable that the price of Real Maple Syrup is more than maple flavored syrups.  happy to support Maple Syrup Producers, and show my appreciation for the hard work they do. 

Many Maple Sugaring producers make a variety of products with the syrup.  Maple candy, Maple Cream, Maple Taffy, Maple Sauces and Seasonings are just a few of the products that you might find in the store of a Maple Sugar House.  Is your mouth watering yet?

There is a local family owned farm we buy from.  Windswept Maples Farm in Loudon, NH, owned and operated by the Moore family is our favorite place to buy our Maple Syrup and other Maple products.  We look forward to enjoying fresh Maple Syrup, Maple Candy and Maple Lollipops.   

 Open House

During Maple Sugar Month, Sugar Producers, or better known as Sugar Houses, have Open House on the weekends.  The Sugar Houses invite people to watch the boiling and bottling process. They also give out free samples of syrup and Windswept Maples often allows kids to fill their own bottle of syrup right off the boiler. Don’t worry, it's safe.  It only involves holding the plastic bottle under the nozzle and turning the nozzle on.  They are also happy to answer any questions about the production process and they have the store well stocked so you can bring home your favorite Maple products. It's great family fun and a wonderful opportunity to continue to learn about the farm to table processes while supporting your local farmers. 

Hot waffles and pancakes with Real Maple Syrup poured over the top are probably the two most popular ways to consume the syrup.  I also use Real Maple Syrup to make salad dressings, dips, puddings, cakes, cookies and ice cream.  It is a great natural sweetener and adds that maple flavor that is hard to find anywhere else.  Check out my recipe for Maple Cashew Ice Cream.  It’s dairy free, only has 4  ingredients and tastes heavenly.  

Maple Cashew Ice Cream

Ingredients

*2 Cans of Full Fat Coconut Milk or Cream

*¾ Cup of Real Maple Syrup

*1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

*1 Teaspoon of Salt 

***Ice Cream Maker***

Directions: 

1. Prepare your Ice Cream Maker according to the directions of the manufacturer. 

2. In a bowl, mix all the ingredients.  If the coconut milk has chunks, heat the milk in the microwave until just warm and the chunks will whisk out.

3. Mix all ingredients together until well blended. 

4. Add the mixture to your Ice Cream Maker, following the directions of the manufacturer. 

Store in an airtight container in your freezer.

Show Us Yours!

If you make this we would love to hear about it!  Send us a pic on Facebook Messenger or Instagram Direct Messaging at Grow Your Lunch Oh.  Who knows, your picture could be featured (with your permission of course)  in one of our upcoming posts, emails or newsletters!