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.

Who Needs the Syrup? Just Drink the Sap!

"The forests of southern Korea yield a prized elixir", writes Choe Sang-Hun. Read about it here!

National Maple Syrup Festival

Maple Syrup Season is truly one of the first signs of spring, as the cold winter months slowly slip away and the forest floor comes to life. What better way to celebrate the coming of spring than to attend the grandly titled National Maple Syrup Festival in Medora, Ind.

This year's dates are 7-8 and 14-15 March 2009. For details, call 812:966-2168.

At Burton’s Maplewood Farm, nestled in the rolling hills of Southern Indiana, you can enjoy the taste of our country made hot pancakes with 100% pure Maple Syrup all day every day.

This maple festival is “Always the First and Second weekend in March” and is located two miles north of Medora, Ind. These two weekends offer something for everyone in the family. A variety of fun-filled events, activities, Live-music & demonstrations are sure to keep you entertained and coming back for more year after year.

Admission $8.00; 2-day pass $12.00; 4-day pass $20.00; children 15 & younger $4.00 daily.

Maple Syrup Festival Indiana's Parke County

At winter’s end, Parke County’s Maple Syrup Producers begin tapping the maple trees that provide sugar water for making maple syrup. Join in on the two weekends of fun at the Parke County Maple Fair, Feb 21-22, Feb 28 & March 1. Travel country roads with world famous covered bridges and tour maple syrup camps throughout the county. See how maple syrup is made down at the "sugar camp" and sample its wonderful flavor.

The festival headquarters is located one mile north of Rockville, Indiana, on Highway 41 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. Everyone from 4-H Junior Leaders to Senior Citizens get in on the act when its pancake flippin’ time, pancakes are served all day with whole hog sausage and golden maple syrup.

At the headquarters, maple syrup displays offer products such as pure maple syrup, maple sugar candy and maple syrup cookies. In addition to maple syrup products, you will find the works of Parke County artisans, handmade crafts, home baked goodies, and jams and jellies. An annual highlight of the Maple Syrup Festival is the Covered Bridge Art Association art display. Local artists will demonstrate their talents and have works of art for sale.

The Butcher Shop offers 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. There you can shop for handmade and homegrown products, including hand made dolls and appliquéd clothing to woodcrafts and oil paintings.

Visitors tour maple sugar camps of Foxworthy, Williams & Teague, Smiley’s Camp, Sweetwater Farms, and Baird’s Sugar Shack, where sixty gallons of sugar water are reduced to make one gallon of golden maple syrup. A map and information may be picked up at the headquarters that will lead you to the camps in Parke County.

Tour all of Parke County’s Maple Syrup Camps by taking a map and striking out on your own. Rockville’s Historic Town Square welcomes you to browse in shops, antique malls and the Covered Bridge Art Gallery.

At the old opera house, now the Ritz Theatre, the Parke Players will offer a play on Feb 20, 21: Feb 27, 28 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $6 and can be purchased at the Headquarters or at the door.

Plan on spending more than just a day to enjoy maple syrup making, those world famous Covered Bridges and the scenic beauty of Parke County, from the frosty mornings to the crispy clear winter nights - there are lots of things to see and do.