Gardenfork
Maple Syrup: Tapping the Trees
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Eric: So today we are at my friend, Priscilla’s house. And they are tapping their maple trees. Here it comes. So today, we are at my friend Priscilla’s house and we are going to learn about tapping maple trees in the traditional way. She just has the old style cans and the old drill bit. And it is really kind of interesting. So, Amber and Edam are here to help. All right, so here we go. So is there a certain depth to go?
Priscilla: You have to go past the bark in the outer layer.
Eric: Here are some of the pails from year’s past that had filled up.
Priscilla: At the Farmer First Expo, there was a really nice demonstration. Slice of wood taken from a very old, 100-year-old maple tree, showing all the places that have been tapped so there were these little brown scars and then they were explaining how once that formed and you could see dark above and below, no sap would travel in that exact route again.
Eric: Is that a very high tech nail you are using or just a regular nail?
Priscilla: Just whatever is fine.
Eric: So how many buckets will you put in a tree this time?
Priscilla: Two or three, some people put a lot and over tap but we are very careful with the tree so we do not put as many as we could put. We do have what is called a ran. It comes out in a steady stream. It is hard to believe but it does. So when it gets really cold one night and then an extra warm day. It just comes out like crazy.
Okay we are all set. And then the ice, we throw away because that is just water. So if there is ice in the morning, we cut it out and throw it out.
Eric: So you scope off the ice.
Priscilla: So you are really concentrating the sap when we take the ice out.
Eric: So you just pull that out?
Priscilla: So it we are just going to throw that away. I actually have a little strainer from here to get it out. Cory would you like a piece of ice? It is so delicious.
Eric: Stop chasing the chickens!
Male: That is the ancient way of doing this but it works.
Eric: It works!
Male: It works.
Eric: Low tech, I like low tech. So that is Indian pudding?
Priscilla: Yes, it can be made with the syrup, with a half cup of maple syrup, and I just made it off the stove last night.
Eric: And then this is syrup. This is sap that you are boiling down here.
Priscilla: Yes, this one is more down. See it is more yellow, it has gone down 50%. You will taste this so, good to hurry up with. It has cinnamon and ginger. This is made with molasses but you can make it with maple syrup
Eric: That is great! All right, I have got to go.
Priscilla: Bye, Eric.
Eric: Thank you.
Priscilla: See you soon.
Eric: All right, see you guys
Priscilla: I will look forward to the show.
Eric: Priscilla sells eggs that are why we call her the egg lady, and here we go. These are amazing eggs from those chickens. Look at those. This is the honor system. We leave our money, and take our eggs. We put on our new eggs. And we bring our old cartons back.
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