A (Maple) Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Ava Chin writes about making maple syrup in Brooklyn, a New York City borough, in The New York Times. "This time of year," she writes, "the city’s maple trees are ripe for tapping, and, as I discovered in Brooklyn this weekend, the sap is flowing."

The entire article is here.

Parke County Syrup Festival

Nothing signals the end of winter better than maple syrup festivals! One of the largest takes place throughout Parke County in west central Indiana. This year's dates are February 27 and 28 plus March 6 and 7. Not only do Road Trips Foodies get to see how the sweet stuff is produced, but there are the scenic drives along country roads punctuated with Parke County's famous covered bridges! Maple sugar camps on the tour this year are Foxworthy, Williams & Teague, Smiley’s Camp, Sweetwater Farms, and Baird’s Sugar Shack.

The festival headquarters is on US 41, one mile north of Rockville, Indiana, at the county 4-H Fairgrounds. Hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Maps and information will be provided for all the places you’ll want to visit in Parke County, but there's a reason to stick around the fairgrounds for a bit: pancakes are served all day with whole-hog sausage and maple syrup (of course). In addition, the fairgrounds will have maple syrup, maple sugar candy and maple syrup cookies for sale, plus the works of Parke County artisans, handmade crafts, home baked goodies, jams and jellies. The Butcher Shop sells smoked ham, bacon, country pork sausage and cheese. so that you can take home some of that great country flavor. Parke County Collectibles is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with handmade and homegrown products for sale from appliquéd clothing to woodcrafts.

19th Annual Maple Syrup Festival

Maple syrup festival dates for 2010 are starting to roll in. The 19th annual Maple Syrup Festival at Leane and Michael's Sugarbush, 321 North Garrison Hollow Road, Salem, Indiana, will be held 27 and 28 February and 6 and 7 March 2010.

There's a tour of the sugarbush every hour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., both Native American (see photo, above) and pioneer syrup making demonstrations between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., and self-guided tours of the sugarhouse. There'll be games, crafts, mule-drawn wagon rides, llamas, candle-making and traditional fiddle, gospel and dulcimer music. And, of course, you can purchase maple syrup, maple candy, maple cream and maple cotton candy!

Here are driving directions:
From I-65 take exit 19 at Henryville
Go west on SR 160 for 7.6 miles
Turn right onto New Salem Road, go 1.7 miles
Turn left onto Thomas Lane, go 0.8 miles
Turn right onto Garrison Hollow Rd, go 0.8 miles
Sugarbush is on the right with parking on the left

Is Shagbark Syrup Like Maple Syrup?

In a word: no.

Shagbark syrup is made from (surprise!) the bark of hickory trees, while maple syrup is made from the sap of maple trees.

You can read more about shagbark syrup here in an article by Jackie Sheckler Finch appearing in the 18-24 October 2009 issue of American Profile.

Annual Meetings for Syrup Producers

The 2009 North American Maple Syrup Council and International Maple Syrup Institute Annual Meetings will be held 22-25 October 2009 in Atlantic Oakes by the Sea Resort and Conference Center, Bar Harbor, Maine (hosted by the Maine Maple Producers Association). The meetings begin the evening of 22 October, and continue through a banquet on 25 October. A tour of northern Maine begins on 26 October.

There will be demonstrations, producer workshops and technical sessions, equipment displays and tours to interest everyone involved in maple, from the backyard producer to the largest producers, packers and wholesalers.

For more information, please contact either Robert Smith or Eric Ellis, or, go to the Maine Maple Producers website.

Tomorrow is National Gingersnap Day

In honor of National Gingersnap Day (1 July), why not bake up some Maple Gingersnaps! This recipe makes about five dozen.

3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 egg
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Grease cookie sheets. In large bowl, combine 3/4 cup sugar, butter, maple syrup and egg; blend well. Stir in flour, baking soda, ginger, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, cloves and salt; mix well. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate 1 to 2 hours for easier handling.

Heat oven to 350ºF. In small bowl, combine 1/4 cup sugar and 1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon; blend well. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in sugar-cinnamon mixture. Place 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheets.

Bake at 350ºF for 7 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets.

This recipe is adapted from one posted here.

Filming the Flight of a Winged Maple Seed

There wouldn't be any maple syrup without maple trees!

Filming the Flight of a Winged Maple Seed
By HENRY FOUNTAIN
Published: June 16, 2009
The New York Times

An acorn may not fall far from the tree, it’s true, but the same can’t be said for a maple seed, with its distinctive wing shape. As it falls, the heavier nut end of the wing causes it to whirl in the air, slowing its descent and allowing the wind to carry the seed, sometimes as far as a mile or more.

An aerospace engineer has figured out why the seed’s whirling gives it extra lift, allowing the wind to carry it a mile or more.

Read it all here.