Hello!
Vermont is Sweet today! March 2007 I went out seeking the best of the best, Vermont Maple Syrup, in the heart of sugar season. The cold freezing nights and warm sunny days keep the sap running.
The only clouds in Vermont on Sunday March 26th were clouds of Maple Steam. The evaporators in the sugar shacks were loaded up with wood, creating a roaring hot fire to reduce the sap into sweet gold.
I continued my "Chef Contos Magical Maple Tour" visiting 3 homespun sugar shacks. Planting myself down on a bench in the sugar shack, soaking in the sweet smells and moments. I watched these hard working Vermonters throw wood into the fire every 10 minutes on the alarm. The goal is to keep a roaring hot fire burning at all times. This reduces the sap fast and may I say, there is a lot of sap to be reduced. It takes 43 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of Maple Syrup. So no complaints on the price folks, it is a lot of work to produce this Vermont Liquid Gold.
I ended my personal tour at Morse farms in Montpelier VT, with Burr Morse and his beautiful sugar bush. He and his family have been sugaring the same land for 200 years. Wow, I love that. Go Burr! After talking to Burr and his buddy I simply had to set off and grab one of his famous Maple Creamies. Yes famous, as it was voted 89 on Americans best 100 things to eat. Well deserved indeed!
I ended up totaling 1 1/2 gallons of 07 Vermont Maple Syrup. With the wild blueburries and the syrup, pancakes are good eats out here!
Someday my tour will be a yearly feature on my cooking show, you all may enjoy.
Sweet Days,
Courtney
P.S. You may order the 07 syrup from Burr at http://www.morsefarm.com/pages/
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