It has been an exceptional year for Abbott's Sapworks, the 2 spile operation we traditionally run in our little corner of the Litchfield Hills. Usually, I can count on a bit more than half a gallon of syrup, but this March we have had an almost unbroken month with ideal sap conditions, often producing a gallon per bucket each day. I have sugared off a gallon plus a pint of the amber nectar, enough to enjoy on aebleskiver, Belgian waffles, blueberry buttermilk pancakes, silver dollar flapjacks, indian pudding, oatmeal, and sour dough french toast for at least a month of Sundays.
I am grateful to our maple tree for its largess, and will give it an extra layer of mulch this summer. Next season I may decide to set just a single spile. I don't want to take advantage, and anyway there's a butternut back there I've been interested in tapping. Like the maple, it has sap that is 3% sugar but a distinctly different flavor. Variety is the spice of life.
you can tap butternut? I grew up with several butternut trees, all but two on the old farm are dead (and one of them is only a little more than a foot across).
Talk about missed opportunities...
Posted by: Jerub-Baal | March 30, 2008 at 09:09 PM