[chocomouse]

I made the Apricot Oatmeal Bars that BakerAunt often makes. I used raspberry jam which I made from our fresh picked berries. I made a few slight changes, mostly increasing the ingredients a bit to fill a 9 x 12 pan, and subbing in white whole wheat. They are delicious, and I will definitely make again. I am thinking about a thin layer of melted chocolate on top of the jam (raspberry or apricot) then sprinkled with the topping.

[chocomouse]

We had a decent syrup season last year -- not "wow", but not bad. Comparisons for us are difficult, since we spent over 100,000 on a new building, all new, high-tech equipment, etc. And last year was our first year as a "commercial" official business. We had also planned to tap many new trees, thus increasing our capacity, but that didn't happen due to unexpected issues. I have not heard any talk about a shortage of syrup; most years there is surplus, which is stored for the future. However, I would expect usage is up (parents working from home and feeding home-from-school kids pancakes!) so pressure is on supply-demand.

We sell our syrup for $10.00 a quart (I hear you "gasp"; I keep telling my husband he needs to raise the price a little! But he wants to make it affordable, and doesn't need to make a ton of profit). Three quarts fit into the USPS pre-paid $15 shipping box, so you get 3 quarts for $45.00. We ship only in the plastic bottles, to avoid the inevitable breakage.

I know you said you do not like the plastic; that's why I didn't offer to sell you any syrup the last time we talked about this! I don't know why you don't like the plastic, but you can repackage it.

You can easily pour the syrup into glass containers (we personally use mason jars) and reseal them. That means heating the syrup up to 180*, pouring it into sterilized jars (think canning) up to about 1/4" from the top, put on the lid and screw band, then turn upside down for about a minute to seal. Syrup that is processed this way will keep probably forever, although many folks say three year. Once it is opened, it must be refrigerated. However, if your syrup ever does get mold growing on it, just scrape off the mold, and heat the sryup to 180* and reseal or refrigerate.

We have only the "dark robust" grade of syrup. That used to be called B grade. A lot of folks believe that means inferior syrup - it is not. It's the only kind I use, and is preferred by most Vermonters and bakers. All syrup has to meet certain standards. All syrup that meets those standards will have the same density - measured with a hygrometer. The flavor may differ somewhat from farm to farm, depending on the terroir. If there is an off-taste, something is terribly wrong- like re-using a mason jar that once was filled with pickles! We do not reuse plastic jugs. We do not wash our glass jars with soap - that can impart an odd taste. Glass is not impervious. Or, using sap from a maple tree in late spring after the tree has budded; it gets a bitter, sharp taste.

Please let me know if you have questions, or want to order some syrup!

[chocomouse]

Mike, spray them with water first thing in the morning, sunrise, and you might save them. Or, go out and throw a sheet over them tonight. In the low 40s, the plants most likely will not be killed, but if the cold is prolonged, the tomatoes won't ripen. So pick them all and ripen inside - put in cardboard boxes and separate with layers of newspaper.

[chocomouse]

Today I made another 5 quarts of tomato sauce for the freezer. We have plenty of tomatoes still ripening, and temps in the 80s this week. We also had BLTs for dinner.

[chocomouse]

Funny, Len! I had a student many years ago, he was about 22 at the time, who was a really nice guy, but clearly suffered from a lack of "cultural learning" -- the kind of information you just pick up along the way. He had a tremendous amount of U.S. geographic knowledge, which he learned in his favorite classes in elementary school - geography, so he was not incapable of learning. Part of my job was to teach him some of the important life information that he lacked. Buffalo wings was a part of that!! Yes, he knew chickens had wings, but these restaurants are serving up buffalo wings. He didn't know buffaloes have wings. And he wanted to know if I had ever seen a buffalo fly? It was so hard for me to keep a straight face; I quickly segued to talk about the buffalo statues which are along one of the NY Thruway exits to Buffalo. But he was completely serious.

[chocomouse]

Interesting. I'd like to see responses to this article from other bakers who promote whole wheat.

[chocomouse]

I made a chunky tomato sauce, with peppers, celery, and onions, garlic and Italian seasoning, and lots of basil from the deck, served over cavitapi and a small loaf of maple oat bread from the freezer that needed to be used. It was a nice change from grilling with fresh vegetables, signaling a return to colder weather eating patterns.

[chocomouse]

It has, typically, cooled off here lately; 78 now, but moving into the low 80s the next few days, with nights down around 50. This morning I made bagels - nice and crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside.

[chocomouse]

Happy Birthday, Mike! Hope you enjoyed all those baked goodies and have some leftovers for tomorrow!

[chocomouse]

My kitchen was busy today! I made a tomato tart, which came out a little runny (should have used my Roma tomatoes, but I will try to drain off some of the excess liquid) but delicious as usual. I fixed maple candied carrots for my husband. And I made lemon blueberry muffins (and forgot to put in the sugar; it helps to read the recipe!). And we grilled tuna steaks for dinner.

But the biggest excitement of my day was my trip to KAF!! Rather, KABC. I have not been there now for at least 6 months; I rarely leave the house these days. I called ahead with my order, and picked it up curbside 20 minutes later! A very efficient, pandemic-safe process. I also spent less money than usual, because I was not tempted by all the goodies I don't need when walking through the store. I had shopped online first, however, and taken inventory of my pantry. I got a bag of semolina, one of Harvest Grains Blend, and Pumpernickel. I also bought a #16, 1/4 cup, disher, which I immediately put to use at home making the muffins - perfect! I should have bought one of these 30 years ago. The dough slid out easily, no sticky mess, and although I'm left-handed, it was very easy to use. The sizing was perfect, nicely domed. I highly recommend. Now, I need to decided if I like the new packaging. Clear plastic bags replacing the plastic-lined brown paper bags. Still have the zip-lock closure.

[chocomouse]

BakerAunt, I'm sorry you cannot eat brats now. I feel badly just posting about them. How about some chicken sausage? I've eaten some really good ones, but I didn't pay much attention to the fat content. I have a feeling that the label "chicken" is supposed to make you think low-fat, although if you read the fine print, they are not very low fat at all!

[chocomouse]

I had a tomato sandwich and husband had a BLT for dinner. I processed about 5 quarts of tomato sauce for the freezer today also.

[chocomouse]

We had our first crop of string beans from the raised planters on the deck way back in July. I did a second planting about August 1st in one of the planters. In the other one, I cut back the original bean plants, leaving 4-6 inches, always leaving behind a couple of leaves. I know in the in-ground garden, that if I keep picking the young beans, the plants produce more flowers and thus beans, for quite a while; however, they do eventually stop producing. I wasn't sure if they would produce more leaves and beans as a result of the severe pruning that I did -- but they sure have!! This winter, I"ll go back over all my gardening notes and figure out a planting schedule to try next summer. How great to not have to plant more seeds, yet get like-new plants!! I love garden fresh beans, second only to tomatoes!

[chocomouse]

We had grilled boneless pork chops, kale salad, tomatoes, and green and yellow beans from the 2nd planting in the raised beds on the deck.

[chocomouse]

Our dinner tonight was brats on home-made buns with roasted onions and peppers, and refrigerator pickles.

[Author]

Posts