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Kitchen Moments ~ It's Sap Season!

1:29 AM, Apr. 8, 2008

Spring is coming! And that means warmer weather, flowers, and .... what else? It's Maple syrup time! Up here in the north woods of Wisconsin, at the end of March and early April, we tap the Sugar Maple trees and gather sap. This sap is then boiled down to make maple syrup.

During Winter, the trees are dormant. The temperature outside is very cold, with the wind blowing right through you. But come late March, things start to change. Once the temperatures get above 32 degrees during the day and get below 32 degrees at night, the sap begins to flow within the trees. The warmer temps in the day cause the sap to run up the tree. And the colder temps at night cause the sap to come back down to the roots. Sap is the fluid in the trees made within the root system gathered from the water in the ground. It is the combination of water, mineral elements and other nutrients created within the cells of the roots. In a tree, as in most plants, the sap is transported from the roots up to the leaves. This process is called "basipetal" (1). Sap can be collected from any tree. However, Sugar Maple is the most popular and the most common because it's sap has the highest sugar content then any other tree. Although in Russia, Birch tree sap is often collected and consumed either fresh or fermented. (1)

Once "sap season" is here, the tree needs to be tapped. To tap a tree, you drill a hole about 1" to 1 1/2" depth, at a slight angle upwards. Tap a spout into the hole far enough in so hands can't pull it out. (2) Tapping spouts have a little hook underneath the spout for the collection buckets to hang from and where the sap can drip into. Once sap season is well underway, the sap often needs to be collected twice a day. The more leaves the tree has and the more sunshine the tree gets, the more sap you will collect.

Once the sap is collected, it needs to be strained. Before you begin to boil the sap, you must find the temperature of boiling water. This will change from season to season and from thermometer to thermometer. The sap is fully boiled down into maple syrup when the temperature of the sap is 7 degrees higher than boiling water. For example, last year water boiled at 210 degrees, so the sap was maple syrup at 217 degrees. This year, water is boiling at 206 degrees, so the sap is maple syrup at 213 degrees. Once you have determined your boiling point, you put the sap into a large pot and begin to boil it.

As your sap boils down, you will need to consolidate it into one pot, and then into a smaller pot. The sap will need to be strained at least once more before the desired temperature is achieved. Sugar Maple sap has a certain % of sugar content and the more you boil it, the more the water is evaporated and the more the sugar content becomes concentrated. Sap straight from the tree looks like slightly tinted water. The natural mineral content of the sap becomes more concentrated the more you boil it and this turns the sap into a light-to-dark amber color.

You can store your syrup by either pouring your boiling sap into sterilized Mason jars and screwing the lids on to seal them or you can pour your cooled syrup into the sterilized Mason jars and place them into a stock pot of water. Boil the water and jars for 20 minutes. Taking the jars out of the boiling water into the cooled air should cause the jars to seal. The other way to store your syrup is to keep it in the fridge. If you find mold has formed on the top of your syrup, skim off the mold and bring the syrup to a rapid boil. Skim off anything that comes to the surface. This should remove any mold from the syrup. But if it continues to have an "off" flavor, throw it away.

Maple syrup is a wonderful ingredient to use in cooking. While it can't be substituted for sugar, it can be added for it's unique flavor. Try it in pumpkin pies, sauces, squash dishes, granola, etc.

Here is our favorite recipe for granola:

8 cups rolled oats
3 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup honey
1 cup butter or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups sweetened dried cranberries or raisins
1 cup of flaked coconut

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment or aluminum foil.
Combine the oats and walnuts in a large bowl. Stir together the salt, brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, butter or oil, cinnamon, and vanilla in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then pour over the dry ingredients, and stir to coat. Spread the mixture out evenly on the baking sheets.
Bake in the preheated oven until crispy and toasted, about 30 minutes. Stir once halfway through. About 10 minutes before it's finished, stir in your coconut. Cool, then stir in the raisins or cranberries before storing in an airtight container.

(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sap
(2) http://pubpages.unh.edu/~hmz2/hw5/tapatree.html

Jennifer Dewing has experience in the restaurant business. She turned in her chef's hat and donned the many hats of a stay-at-home mother 7 years ago. She is now the mother to 5 children, 7 years and under. She homeschools her eldest two children. Her husband is a professional chef and in their house, food is a big part of their family.

Posted in Kitchen Moments, 1 comments, Link
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<em>Untitled Comment</em>

11:44 AM, Apr. 9, 2008, posted by diamondsintherough

I tried this granola recipe yesterday, omitting the cinnamon. Oh dear. It is wayyy too good. How will I ever be able to go back to the fat-free granola recipe that I was once very happy with? Thank you for sharing. I think, lol.

Edited by diamondsintherough on Apr. 9, 2008 at 10:45 AM

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