Virtual Farm Tour

This was our week.

Trying for sweet potato starts to plant in the garden.

Oliver's arch enemy.

Toulouse Goose

We got 9 quarts (plus a pint) of maple syrup this year. (We gave away some before I took this photo)

Tulip and Daffodil bulbs emerging in the warmer weather.

Stored Winter Squash from last year. Perfectly edible.

The sap boiling into syrup

Working with the little girls on leash training.

Some of my birthday presents!!!

Nice job ladies!

Red Tailed Hawk flying over the hay field.

Some of our ducks enjoying the mud puddles in the yard.

Our Pilgrim Goose enjoying the first blades of green emerging grass.

Black Walnut and Maple Syrup

I thought I might never get this post written. Spring is such a busy time for us that it's hard to get it all done, yet alone write about it. But sharing with all of you is very important to me and I promised many of you that when we finally boiled down the Black Walnut sap I would let you all know how it went. 

This year we used a new system with our sap collection.

Instead of using spiles and emptying collection buckets (sometimes three times a day)

we drilled a hole in the tree slightly smaller than this clear plastic tubing.

We ran the tubing down into a five gallon bucket with a hole drilled into the lid.

This method sealed off the entire system from outside waste.

It also made it much easier to collect the sap with the larger containers. 

We had our last sap boil a couple of weekends ago. This year we broke it into two boils.

We had to postpone the last boil because of work conflicts and the weather not cooperating.

Before we could get the sap boiled, the temperatures started warming up.

The trees stopped flowing and we had 40 gallons of sap to keep fresh until the weekend.

Thank goodness we have an upright freezer! We took the bottom shelf out and stored two buckets at a time in the bottom.

We let them freeze, then alternated buckets.

I also floated frozen water bottles in the sap to keep it cool.

We didn't get very much walnut sap at all...maybe 3/4 of a gallon. But we boiled it down and it is very good.

The flavor is somewhat nutty and maybe a hint of caramel.

It reminded me of a Pecan syrup I had at a waffle house a few years ago. In the end, we didn't even get a full 8 oz, but it was a fun experiment to try.

The rest of the boils went really well and we got over 3 1/2 gallons of syrup.  

 

Maple Syrup Guide

According to the 7 day forecast we could experience day time temperatures above 32 next week! Time to get out the maple taps and the drill! Maple season is coming...I promise it is. So I've collected a bunch of posts, videos and recipes from the past to help you make the most of your Sugar Shack!

Sugar Bush Season

This is a post I wrote for Grit Magazine which takes you through the different processes of Maple syruping. From determining the right temperatures to start, how to identify trees in the winter, drilling, collecting sap, boiling it down, and finishing the syrup.












Tapping the Trees Video
This video discusses the best place to tap the tree. Which side of the tree, where (in relation to the roots and branches) and in which direction.

Old Fashioned Maple Kettle Syrup 
This post is all about collecting and boiling. 

Finishing the Maple Syrup
Here I discuss how to filter the finished syrup and how to determine when the sap has become syrup using simple kitchen items that you probably already have! 













Indian Springs Maple Syrup Demonstration

We take you on a tour of a Maple Syrup Class we took. I discuss some of the history behind maple syruping, some tricks for remembering which trees to tap and other interesting facts. 

Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dumber Tap Maple Trees, or Wait, is it an Oak?
This is a funny story about Zach and my first attempt at tapping a tree.

Maple Syrup Success! 
Our first successful boil using a Red Maple not s Sugar Maple. 

Spring Creeping
Come spend a day with us as we sit around the fire waiting for the sap to boil.

Maple Sugar Candies
Use extra or older syrup to make Maple Sugar Candies!

Brandied Vanilla and Maple Creme Brulee
Use your delicious syrup to make this unique custard dessert. 

Special Issue In Season Magazine

Be sure to check out the new Special February Issue of In Season Magazine. There is a wonderful collection of informative articles including the Iron Oak Farm post on making Maple Sugar Candies, just in time for Maple Sugar Season to begin!

Maple Sugar Candies

Even though maple syrup is made in the spring, for some reason, the flavor and essence of MAPLE reminds me of the fall. Maybe it's the golden caramel hue, or the deep rich flavor? I picture a steaming pile of pancakes on a cold winter morning drizzled with the earthy syrup.

We had a generous maple harvest season-before-last and I still have jars of syrup from 2013. They've deepened in color and flavor, and I prefer them to this year's harvest.

I decided to make these maple syrup candies for the Thanksgiving table this year. I thought they would look adorable as a sweet decoration on top of slices of pumpkin or pecan pie. They would also be beautiful nestled in a dollop of whip cream on top of a warm fall drink. Spiced Apple Cider, Hazelnut Latte, or a Hot Buttered Rum to name a few. They work well as a natural sweetener dropped into a cup of herbal tea.

To make these candies you need 1 ingredient.

Real Maple Syrup

You don't really even need candy molds, you can pour the candy into a 9x9 baking dish and cut into rustic cubes. 

I found the instructions and temperatures for this project at Allrecipes.com 

And the process couldn't be easier.

Add two cups of real maple syrup to a small sauce pan.

Using a candy thermometer, heat the syrup to 235 degrees.

It will bubble and froth, stir this down and remove from heat from time to time to control the boil.

Once it reaches temperature, remove from heat and let the temperature drop to 175 degrees.

Once cooled, stir until it becomes lighter in color and moving quickly,

pour into molds.

Before the candy cools too much, I sliced the backs even with a knife. Let cool and pop out of the mold gently. If you've never had maple syrup candies, they are intensely sweet and maple flavored. They are an interesting texture of firm candy that melts instantly into a creamy treat. Give them a try!