Absolutely NOTHING tastes as good as Pure Maple Syrup. The syrup is still THE BEST Pure Maple Syrup you have ever tasted. At that point they use a reverse osmosis system to take over half of the water out of the sap before they start boiling the sap which basically means they can boil the sap to make syrup in a couple of hours compared to when I was growing up would take all day for the same amount of sap to syrup. Today they use a plastic piping system running plastic tubing from tree to tree and pump the sap directly from the tree to the tank at the sugar shack. Its a bit different today that when I helped gather. My third cousins in that family are just starting the tradition. Today, one of my cousins still carries on the traditions of my great great grandpa. Other members of the family would be boiling the sap to make Pure Maple Syrup day and night until everything was boiled down. At that point we would pump out the sap into the other tank and go back to another part of the woods to start gathering more sap. Each team would gather until the tank was full and then drive the horses back to another tank outside the sugar shack. The teams of gatherers would typically consist of 2 – 3 people per team, one wagon fitted with a 350 gallon tank to hold the sap while gathering, and either 2 horses pulling the wagon or sometimes a tractor or sometimes a caterpillar. You were lucky to get 2 taps / pails per tree. There were several older huge trees that would have up to 6 pails hanging on each tree, but not very many trees would support that many taps. Knowing most trees that were old enough or big enough in diameter to tap, typically you could only put one pail on each tree. When I was young they were tapping about 2000 taps. My grandpa and then one of his sons, my uncle had 2 – 3 rigs out gathering sap every day. When I was growing up I remember helping gathering the sap to make the syrup. Currently I have two different cousins that make Pure Maple Syrup so I get the best of the best whenever I go watch them boiling the sap to make syrup. My great great grandparents made Pure Maple Syrup and it has passed down for generations. I grew up in Maple Syrup country not far from the Little House In The Big Woods. Enjoy as is, or crumble on top of yogurt, oatmeal, or your favorite sweet treat. Let the maple sugar candy cool completely.It can be helpful to lightly grease the molds or plates first with butter or coconut oil. Working quickly, pour the thickened syrup into molds, muffin liners, or onto plates to cool.When the syrup reaches 175 degrees, begin to stir with a wooden spoon or whisk rapidly for about 3-5 minutes, until the mixture becomes thick and creamy and lightens in color.Remove the pot from the heat and let the syrup cool to 175 degrees F.Using a candy thermometer, continue to boil the syrup until it reaches a temperature of 235 degrees F (110 degrees C), stirring occasionally. Pour the maple syrup into a heavy stainless steel pot and bring to a boil over medium heat.Plates, muffin liners, baking sheets, or molds in which to cool the candy.However, if you are inclined to collect sap to make syrup and candy from scratch, please read the section after the recipe in which I describe how my family taps the black walnut trees on our property each year to make a delicious black walnut syrup. This recipe walks you through the process of making your own maple sugar candy, starting with store-bought maple syrup. Luckily, we do not need to carry buckets full of sap through the woods to enjoy delicious maple sugar candy at home. While Grandpa and the men collected buckets of sap and carried them back to the house with wooden buckets on yokes, Grandma and the women stayed indoors to boil the sap in a big brass kettle.Įventually, the sap would evaporate enough water that it would become maple syrup, and by continuing to heat the syrup, it would grain into maple sugar. Sugaring season was a celebration and a lot of hard work requiring all hands on deck. When Laura, Mary, Carrie, Ma and Pa still lived in the Big Woods of Wisconsin, they traveled by sled through the woods to Grandma and Grandpa’s house to join them in gathering and boiling maple sap to make cakes of brown maple sugar.
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