Leane and Michael's Sugarbush

We took advantage of warm weather in early December and by the 18^th had gone over our entire tubing system, making repairs, pulling plugs out of the spiles and re-stretching lines.  This also involves clearing limbs, and unfortunately, trees that are still being uprooted because of Hurricane Ike.  The majority of this preliminary work is done; I still have a few areas to personally check.

Hurricane Ike, which occurred over 3 years ago, resulted in many trees having a weakened root structure and various types of structural damage in the crown.  Large trees start to lean and with the weight of leaves, soft ground, and perhaps a little wind (this is not required), they will topple over.  I have talked to county highway personnel who report trees being uprooted (causing road closures) for no apparent reason at all.

Crowns will fail for the same reason.  A little crack develops, which over time weakens areas of the crown, causing partial or total failure.  There are many 2 and 3 tap trees that have less crown than some one tap trees; eventually, we will remove some of these for lumber.  There are so many trees down, and others standing but dead, that trees still marginally alive have several years before we can see if they will recover.

When the hurricane winds first went through I estimated that we lost about 5% of our maple trees.  Now, due to continued effects, I estimate that our 4,000 tap sugarbush will be reduced by at least 10%, along with some decrease in the per tree yield of sap.  Another interesting result of having areas opened up in the woods – more sunlight reaching the forest floor causes the thorn bushes to grow.  I am amazed at the thorns; some areas we are using a weed eater to clear a path from tree to tree.  Also, we have noticed our clothing becoming ragged more quickly, along with scratched up hands.

Eventually the woods will recover and younger maples will shade out the thorns and become producers of harvestable sap, but this will take many years.  We still have a good sugarbush remaining, and there is one small area of about 50 taps that can be developed to replace some of the lost trees.

The warm weather is forecast to run through the start of the new year.  One winter years ago I remember working on a building project outside in a short sleeved shirt on January 15^th.  That year we still had an average syrup season.  We’ll see what happens in January and my guess is that the season will be later than normal.  We normally tap the trees around the first of February – we will see what 2012 brings.

Leane and I hope this Christmas season finds you and your family well.  We appreciate your interest in our reports, which will keep you updated on the 2012 maple syrup season here at Leane and Michael’s Sugarbush.  Merry Christmas!!!!

We have enjoyed a beautiful fall here in our peaceful Southern Indiana valley with great colors in October and early November.  Normally, the dogwood and soft maple drop their leaves early; this year they were late, perhaps due to little wind and only light rain in October.  The sugar maple in the woods had their leaves gone by October 20 and the sycamore leaves seemed to hang on forever.

The woods are open now and we have been getting some firewood and salvaging some logs that are remnants from Hurricane Ike in September 2008.  A few trees are still top heavy from a weakened root system, and with wind and added weight due to growth, are being uprooted.

It appears that due to the great demand for Grade B syrup and some restrictive labeling laws in some areas (not Indiana), that by 2013 Grade B will be labeled Grade A Very Dark.  The relative color guides between light, medium and dark amber might change also.  I don’t see this as a big deal, Grade B syrup will just be renamed to Grade A Very Dark.

From now through mid December we always have an increased interest in our pure maple syrup, both for holiday cooking and gifts.  Maple syrup is the finest sweetener for use on meats, especially ham and other pork cuts especially (I use some on steak also).  It is great in baking for a unique flavor and great on pancakes, hot cereal or ice cream.  A quart or half gallon seems to be the ideal size for a gift – it is something the entire family will enjoy.  Some people include a pint or a glass container or two in gift baskets, or keep some around for last minute gifts and unexpected holiday guests that drop in.

We still have a good supply of maple syrup available in Grade A Dark Amber and Grade B – our prices remain the same since 2008.  Now that we’re working in the woods and preparing for the season, the monthly newsletter will begin covering our crew getting ready for the maple syrup making and reporting on the 2012 season.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours,

The Goering Family

Since beginning to make pure maple syrup on our farm in 1983, we have heard many stories about how grandpa made syrup.  In Washington County, there were some large sugar camps in operation, with a lot of activity during and after World War I.  One story told how drums of finished maple syrup sat on the train platform, ready for pick-up in Pekin.

One of the first stories I heard was from Steve Mount in 1985.  He told how he had helped his grandpa make maple syrup.  Steve remembered being out in the cold, carrying heavy buckets of sap (Steve was probably about 12, which made the date around 1960), and boiling the sap.  His grandpa used to say sometimes the sap wouldn’t thicken up enough to make syrup.

After I hear a story, I always ask if any equipment is left, and if the sugarbush still exists.  The usual answer is grandpa is gone, the equipment is gone and the trees are gone.

While these stories have a certain degree of sadness, everything is not gone – the memories remain.  This is what can be made today with your own family and friends during the maple syrup season.  Even a small effort can be fun, one person told me this year that he made one gallon of syrup.  While it would have been cheaper to just buy the syrup, the activity and memories are priceless.

We always enjoy hearing past and current stories and have served as an information clearing house for small producers.  Some individuals have emailed us with very detailed accounts, some call, others come over to observe and ask questions.  We have given out so much free advice, including printed material, that some people ask if we are part of the state government!

Late winter is a great time to get out and collect a little sap with your family.  Even if it’s just a few buckets, several maple trees or a couple of pints of syrup, sugaring is a wholesome activity that will generate priceless memories for all involved.  I’ve always had a childlike fascination with the concept of getting food from a tree in the winter.

If you have a few maple trees of adequate size on your property, or otherwise available, do a little research (our website and others have some good information) and consider tapping a few trees next year for a wholesome family activity.  Now is a good time to begin researching the process, identifying your trees and collecting the necessary equipment.  It makes a great science fair project, homeschool project or “just because” activity!!  Experience the ancient craft of syrup making for yourself!!

We enjoy hearing the many stories from folks at our festival that are related to producing maple syrup and using maple sugar.  Since our founding in 1983, we have introduced thousands of individuals to the healthy aspects of using maple syrup in their diets and have helped many get started tapping their own trees for sap.  We started the maple syrup festival primarily so that visitors could experience the excitement of making maple syrup and made the sugar camp the primary focus of the event.

One visitor this year told me I had inspired him to make maple syrup.  He lives in central Indiana and made 7 gallons of syrup this year.   Then, he mentioned that he used to buy our syrup and apologized for not being our customer anymore.  I told him there was no reason to apologize, I was glad he was enjoying making maple syrup in the spring. 

Leane answers most of the email questions regarding syrup production during the actual maple syrup season.  Some people have thought we are paid members of a state advisory board; we do not receive any financial compensation for helping producers during the season.  I have learned through several close calls with the evaporator not to get too distracted, there is actually quite a bit involved and to advise an individual on every detail is time consuming.  Leane is busy making festival preparations, but is glad to take time to return phone calls or emails so feel free to ask for help if you decide to try your hand at maple syrup making.  It is a great project for a school class, homeschool family or anyone interested in healthy food and the outdoors.

I have written a one page guide that helps individuals get started.  This is available for no charge through email and at the festival.

This is an after-the-season report.  I am amazed at the comments we receive on these reports – thanks to everyone who reads!!  I try to combine what is happening at our Sugarbush with topics related to maple syrup in general and am glad it is of some interest.

We have pretty much cleaned up from the festival and season.  We still need to service the vacuum pumps and get the sap collection tank off the wagon, but we have been out of the woods for a month.  The store is still set up on the east side since many customers continue to stop by.  Since both Saturdays of the festival brought rough weather, many people were unable to attend and have come by to purchase syrup now that the weather is better.  We still have all grades available, with special deals on the maple cookies and nuts.

At the festival we served around 1,200 cups of maple tea, made with sap directly out of the evaporator.  There is nothing like having this hot, sweet tea on a cold winter day.  As I am a big tea drinker, I have tried to duplicate this special tea and have come close by using the following two methods.  Method 1 - Using regular black tea, make your hot tea and sweeten with about a teaspoon of light amber syrup per cup.  Method 2 – Mix two parts granulated maple sugar to one part cane sugar (I mix a batch in our green sugar bowl with a sugarhouse scene) and use a little over a teaspoon per cup of black tea.

Leane saw on the evening national news that maple syrup is being reported as a superfood with high anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties similar to blueberries and green tea. (More at -  http://news.discovery.com/human/maple-syrup-antioxidant-110402.html ) This is one of the lines I use during tours at the festival.  My three favorite superfoods are sweet potato, broccoli, and maple syrup in any form, syrup, cream, soft sugar or granulated sugar.  Historically, Native Americans in the Northeast US would live for many weeks on maple sugar when their winter’s supply of food ran out before spring.  Although maple syrup has been around for a long time, many people seem to just be discovering its great taste and health benefits, and are using much more maple in their day to day diet.  As with any sweet food, it is best used in moderation.

I hope you are enjoying the beautiful spring.  Colors are just beginning to come out, the grass is growing and it is easier to spend time outside.  We may try to get some firewood before it gets too hot; it’s always nice being in the woods as they start to come back to life for another spring and summer season.