[chocomouse]

I'm not sure of all the chemistry behind the darkening of maple syrup, but I believe it is related to the development of microbes in the sap over time.

The taste of pure maple syrup varies depends on environmental factors (terroir). It depends on the soil, genetics of the trees, the weather (throughout the year and during the sugaring season), when the sap is collected during the season, and how it is processed. So the flavor will vary from producer to producer and from year to year, or even day to day in the same sugarhouse. Generally, the first few gatherings of the season will make the lightest syrup. As the season progresses, the syrup becomes darker and stronger. The appearance of leaf buds on the trees signals the end of the season, as the flavor of the syrup becomes stronger and eventually very bitter.

The issue of climate change and sugaring is not just the warming temperatures, but the need for alternating warming and freezing that makes the sap run in the trees. It can get so warm out that the sap stops running during the day. Or, sometimes, if it doesn't freeze up again in the night, the sap will run all night.

[chocomouse]

Lots of interesting things happening these days with maple sugaring!! Yes, the warming temperatures will definitely affect the production of syrup. Sap flows inside the trees when the nights are below freezing and days above freezing. If we no longer have nighttime below freezing temps in our world, the sap won't run the next day. No sap, no syrup.
The sap usually runs for about 6 weeks, mid-February through March. This year, the night temps were below freezing in November, and during the days were above freezing, so the sap ran. Some syrup producers started gathering and boiling then and made hundreds of gallons of syrup by the end of the month. Then the weather changed. We never did have any "winter" until late February, although there were periods of a few days when the temps were right and the sap ran and some producers made more syrup. The question now is will maple trees continue to produce sap from Nov-March? How long might we be able to make syrup? And how does that affect the long-term health of the trees?
Many producers did not tap last fall, and waited for more typical weather in March. We just made our first gallons of syrup on March 12.
Ponder this: All trees have sap. Birch sap is being made into a drink; it's carbonated, and sold in cans. It does not taste sweet, like maple.

[chocomouse]

The climate changes taking place now are affecting the production of maple syrup. It's very interesting what's happening, and I'll post more about it tomorrow.

[chocomouse]

I made a batch of burger buns, using half AP and half whole wheat. The raspberry pie will wait until tomorrow.

[chocomouse]

I had a huge tossed salad for dinner; could only eat half of it so will have the rest tomorrow.

[chocomouse]

Going to make a raspberry pie here - berries from our garden last summer.

[chocomouse]

I made Date-Nut coffee cake, an old recipe passed on in my husband's family.

[chocomouse]

We also had taco salad! Great minds . . .

[chocomouse]

Copycat.com today posted a recipe for Crumbl sugar cookies with the pink icing - if anyone is interested. I won't be making them! However, my sister and I stopped at the Crumbl store near Kittery ME last week on our way home. She bought cookies to share with her office.

[chocomouse]

We don't have a lot of sausage, Mike, but wish we had more, with the price of meat what it is today. We get just steak and sausage; last night I used backstrap, the most tender of all the cuts. I think we'll try the sausage on pizza tomorrow night.

[chocomouse]

We had venison stroganoff with baby bella mushrooms and peas for dinner.

[chocomouse]

I made Baked Blueberry Pancakes with maple syrup and a side of breakfast sausages. This was a new recipe for me, and I'll be making it from now on instead of my usual KAF's Simply Pancakes. The batter is baked in a 9 x 12 or slightly larger pan. It is so much easier than standing over the grill flipping pancakes! And I used twice as many blueberries which were more evenly distributed throughout the batter. The flavor and texture is excellent.

[chocomouse]

I cooked a pork roast and roasted potatoes and winter squash alongside it in the pan juices.

[chocomouse]

I made another double batch of the Chewy Peanut Butter cookies, and again added a couple handfulls of chocolate chips. I baked them for 10 minutes at 350* and they are perfect.

[chocomouse]

Yes, the cookie craze is alive and well in northern New England. We stopped at Crumbl on our way home from Maine on Monday. People are thrilled with Crumbl! Me? Nope. My cookies are just as good, mostly better in flavor and texture, and a lot cheaper even when made with top quality ingredients. The main difference is mine look home-made; they're not perfect. Fine - I even eat the funny lookin ones.

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