SAP IS
RUNNING FROM THE MAPLE TREES; TIME TO MAKE
SYRUP
It’s a way
of life, passed down through many generations in many families.
Maple
sugarmakers are dedicated to producing the highest quality maple syrup. They
are proud people, proud of what they do and the products that start with the
tapping of those maple trees. The same syrup that is on their tables for their
families is what they make for you.
Yes,
artificial syrups may cost less, but they are not really a deal. 100% pure
maple syrup is natural with no added flavorings or sweeteners.
As it is
said about life, with making maple syrup, timing is everything; mostly being
left up to “Mother Nature”. Tapping (inserting taps into tree trunks) too early
or too late can alter the quantity and quality of the finished product.
“Sugaring off”, as it is known in New England, starts in late February and runs
through early April, when the trees begin to bud. All New England states
produce maple syrup, but Vermont leads in production as location is part of
this timing equation; the farther north the “sugar bush”, as tapping areas are
called, the later the season.
Each taphole
on the trees produces about 10 gallons of sap a season, and 40 gallons are
needed to make one gallon of maple syrup.
The first
liquid to come from the sugar maple tree is a thin, watery stream which drips
into a bucket hanging from the tap, or you may now see plastic tubing that
snakes from tree to tree and connects to a single gathering tank; modern
progress at work. The collected liquid
is then taken to the sugarhouse, where the water is boiled off the sap,
producing clouds of steam. The sweet, thick syrup is the result of simple
evaporation and condensation.
Most
sugarhouses are open to the public and are happy to give tours. Early spring is
the best time to see the entire process and bring home a container of maple
syrup as well as candies and other products they have.
I have been
to a couple of sugarhouses, one in Vermont and another in Mason, NH. I was
fascinated when watching the whole process, and awed with all the products that
can be made with maple syrup. It was
very interesting to listen to the stories of these sugarmakers; some continuing
a lifestyle that began 5, 6, and 7 generations ago.
********
TIPS:
When cooking with maple syrup, substitute three-quarters to
1 cup of maple syrup
for every one cup of granulated white sugar. Decrease the liquid in
your recipe
by 2 to 4 tablespoons for each cup of syrup used. Add one-quarter
teaspoon baking soda,
unless your recipe already
calls for buttermilk, sour milk, or sour cream. Also, decrease
your oven temperature by 25 degrees as batters containing maple tend
to caramelize
around the edges more quickly.
Storage: Always refrigerate after opening. To preserve
maple’s fresh flavor and
prevent crystallization, it can be frozen. Freeze and thaw any number
of times,
just thaw completely, mixing in any condensation on the top before
use.
Enjoy these recipes
Maple
Barbecue Sauce
Ingredients:
1/3 cup maple syrup, preferably Grade
B
1/3 cup spicy brown mustard
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Blend
together. Make as much as you wish and keep refrigerated for up to 3
weeks.
*****
Maple-Poppy
Seed Dressing – Makes 1 pint
This
salad dressing with maple syrup as its chief ingredient is delicious on fruit
or a spinach salad especially. Simple to make, it keeps for several weeks in a
jar stored at room temperature.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup maple syrup
1 and 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 and 1/3 cups cooking oil
1 and 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
3 teaspoons poppy seeds
Mix
all ingredients and store in tightly cover jar.
**********
Often March can be cold, gray, and snowy. Warm things up with this delicious soup;
Chicken Soup w/Pastina & Little Meatballs;
Recipe Courtesy of Joan Altomare, loving former mother-in-law
DELICIOUS SOUP BRINGS BACK
WARM MEMORIES
When we visited Joan in her Somerville apartment, very often she had this soup. I asked her to show
me how she made it, and on our next visit she had all the ingredients ready.
Joan didn't use a written recipe, it was simply cook chicken in water, with
seasonings to make the broth, make the meatballs, and add pastina and escarole.
From then on I made it often and took pleasure in making it for her when she was unable to make it herself.
Over the years I had to write it in recipe form for
friends and family. It is still as she made it, but I do add chives and
parsley to the meatballs. This is similar to Italian wedding soup,
but Joan called it chicken soup with meatballs and pastina.
I think she might like to know that when we have this soup, we can’t
help but think of her.
So a word to all cooks….if you have a recipe that is special
to you, perhaps passed down to you, make sure you show others how to make it,
and it will live on.
Make Soup;
Ingredients:
3 bone-in chicken breasts, skin removed
3 and 1/2 quarts water
celery stalk, 2 carrots(peeled)
Place chicken pieces, celery and carrot in water. Bring to a
boil, lower heat to simmer and let cook for one hour. Remove chicken, celery
and carrots. Skim any fat from broth. Remove chicken from bones, cut into
bite-size pieces, cut carrot in small pieces, set aside. Dispose of celery with
bones. Should have a little more than 3 quarts broth.
(If desired, you can skip above and purchase pre-made
chicken broth.)
Make meatballs.
ingredients:
1 slice
bread
1 pound
lean ground beef
1 teaspoon
dried chives
1
tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 egg,
lightly beaten
6
tablespoons grated parmesan or romano cheese- divided
1/2
teaspoon of each; salt and pepper
Other Ingredients:
3 scant tablespoons pastina (sold in pasta aisle)
1 head escarole;
washed thoroughly, drained, shredded into small pieces.
(If you
can’t find escarole, I have substituted spinach)
Soak bread in a little milk, shake off excess and place in
bowl with remainder of meatball ingredients, using only 3 tablespoons of
the grated cheese. Mix well and make into very small, bite-sized, meat balls.
With chicken broth simmering, add meat balls and escarole,
cover and cook about 20 minutes. Add cut-up chicken, carrot, and pastina, cook
about 10 minutes more. Salt and pepper to taste, sprinkle remaining grated
cheese on top; 6-8 servings.
**********
Enjoy
this delightful recipe sent to me by a reader from Salem NH. It encompasses the old standby, bundt
cake, with pistachio green in order to take a bow for St.Patrick’s Day.
Here
is the lovely letter I received along with the recipe:
Dear Pat,
I read your column every week and
will never forget when I saw the recipe for “Watergate Salad” in one of your
columns. I had never seen that recipe, but have had the recipe for “Watergate
Cake” for many years, and thought you and might like it. It brought back some
memories.
“Aunty Mimo” was a very much loved
contributor to “chatterline” which was in the Boston Herald Newspaper way back when. I
tried to never miss it. I have kept many of her recipes including this
Watergate Cake. One day she announced that she had written a cookbook and it
would be for sale for only a short time. I had a brief illness and forgot about
the cookbook. When I was able to send in the money for it, it was too late,
which really disappointed me. Whatever happened to her I will never know. I
really wanted that cookbook as she had terrific recipes.
Sincerely, Daisy
Watergate Cake
Ingredients:
1 box cake mix, white or yellow
1 small package pistachio instant
pudding
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup finely ground walnuts,
pecans, or pistachio’s
3 large eggs
1 cup milk
In
large mixing bowl, combine dry cake mix and dry pudding mix.
Add
eggs and blend well. Add oil, nuts and milk. Beat medium speed for 4 minutes.
Pour into well greased 13x9 baking pan. Bake
at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes.
Frosting:
Combine
1 box instant pistachio pudding with an 8 ounce container of whipped topping,
or 1 and 1/4 cups cold milk.
Decorate
with green or red maraschino cherries, coconut, and halved pecans if desired.
Coconut can be tinted green if making for St. Patrick’s Day.
**********
WATERGATE SALAD - A Classic
The recipe made its debut in the 70's, and became extremely popular
nationwide.
Pistachio pudding had just come on the market, and this recipe used
it as its main ingredient, and everywhere you went people were serving this.
When Kraft, Inc. re-published it , more information was provided on how
it got its name;
According to the website, it was named either for WATERGATE
(of the Nixon era),
or THE WATERGATE HOTEL, newly built at the time.
This would be a nice dessert to make for St. Patrick's Day as it is the color of lime sherbet; so pretty for a party, and loved by adults and kids.
Ingredients: 1 pkg. (4-serving size)
Pistachio instant pudding mix
1 can (20
oz.) crushed pineapple in juice, undrained
1 cup
miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup
chopped pecans
1 and 1/2
cups whipped topping, (such as cool-whip brand)
Mix dry pudding mix, pineapple, marshmallows, and pecans in a large bowl
until well blended. Gently stir in whipped topping.
Cover and refrigerate. Makes 4 (1 cup) servings
Note: This was very pretty served in a glass bowl with large dollops of
whipped cream on top and a few sprinkled chopped pecans.
