While the local maple syrup season was a challenge and without a doubt one of the poorest I have had on the farm. Just up the road from me is a different zone and while he had a very short season, he did get one..
I love the little signs in the driveways.. handmade and hand painted.. Fresh eggs, Maple Syrup, Honey, Fire Wood for sale..
When you don’t get your own, support local, when you can support local to the point of a five min walk or a nice short horse back ride even better. Its amazing to me how over the years I have found so many small second business within 30 mins give or take around the farm.
This years crop of maple syrup is dark and rich, a fine blend indeed and I bought a years supply of it off Farmer M.. You can see it in the little bowl.. what amazing color, what outstanding flavour.. he got the best run over five days inbetween two major cold snaps.
We had our first meal with it, other then dipping in fingers to the little bowl to try it when it came home.. I had some older bread to use up and French Toast made with sheep’s milk, farm fresh eggs, cinnamon and a touch of nutmeg with butter and fresh local maple syrup hit the spot for supper (don’t you just love having breakfast dinners sometimes)
Just another Day on the Farm 
Yep, breakfasts can be eaten at any time of the day or night! 😀 … looks delicious.
After the horribly dry weather we had last year, it’s not all that surprising they’d be miserly this year, hey? ): Better they keep their strength to recuperate; )
To be honest because we had a wet fall, a good cover winter and a wet spring, the tree’s are all acting normal as can be.. they had a ton of flow when the weather would work with us.
The run was great, when it was running..
Not sure how producers around here made out… The temps here were all over the place and never stayed in the +/- 0° you need to mantain a good solid season
I will admit that I am so surprised that I lost nothing to the drought plant wise, even the things planted last year and just watered enough to keep them going in the heat of the summer and then the fall rains are all alive and growing already.. The damage is in the form of the branches needing pruning due to the snow pack.. as strange as it sounds because of the difference in our fall-winter and how our springs came, I think we had different effects on our land and area then you did, even though we are only a few hours away. I would have thought that the lake effect would have meant that you did better then us but so far, we have had a later start to spring an a nice wetter spring and we are now getting better temps and sun..
You also had much more normal winter temps and precipitation than we did this year and, while ours was better than last year, there was still very little snow cover overall – which we’ve definitely made up for it since then with rain (I hope).
But actually, we’re not really all that close to the lake here – with about 10km distance and 700’of elevation up onto The Ridges(Moraine) we get completely different weather here in comparison to those nearer the water (other than an occasional Lake Effect snow-dump that we all share, every now and again; )
Hmm… Maybe the drought also accounts for the darker colour/ richer flavour as well?
The darker color is because of the producers set up, and how he does it with the fire.. most folks are after the purest possible, and he does make it, but I asked for the darker (it has more flavour) The market likes the lighter, most home producers like the darker 🙂
Yes, as in so many things, you and I are Maple syrup traditionalists. Although he’s been gone a while now, our go-to Syrup Producer was also a bucket to fire kinda guy and it was always the latest run stuff he saved for us… I can’t see the point of wanting the super light, nothing but sweet, stuff. Many people are the same with honey and only want the straight Clover or very light, early summer flavours; )
Time to make some Sugar Pie/ Tarte de Sucre? YUMMM!
I have to tell the truth, neither J nor I like sugar pie.. it must be a east coast thing, It does nothing for either of us..
Now a good old fruit pie.. yum..
Sugar Pie is something we only had up in the Gatineaus (and always with a nice café noir; ) Although DH’s Aunt gave me the family recipe, sad to say I’ve never made it. While I do cookies, cake, puddings and biscuits; pastry was always Mom’s forte and my heart’s just not in it…
And, although there are lots of recipes, they’re definitely not all created equal; )