Cooking Sap

    

Had to dig the cooker out to start!

     My house smells like a campfire, the kitchen floor is sticky, and the first qts. of maple syrup are in the jars and canned.  So-o-o worth it :-)  Rick has cooked the sap down outside, to about 2 gallons.  He finishes it on the stove so he can make sure not to burn it.  (You do not want to be here if he burns it....)

He checks the sugar content with a brick's hydrometer to the hot test line.





All this gunk, called sugar sand, gets strained out.



  

Five quarts and one pint so far.
(My middle daughter already stole a quart  :-)

     Now....... potato pancakes & cheddar cheese, maple pecan cookies, buttermilk pancakes, a topping for vanilla ice cream........... the taste of fresh maple syrup really can't be described.