More press on the maple sap beer a few brewers here in VT are trying to recreate. Some of my sap went into a local version that should be ready early in July. The traditional version was so strong an average man could not “drink two 8-ounce glasses and walk 10 minutes later.” The modern version is sure to be a bit more appropriate for easy sipping.
Maple Products Available! I have been busy turning some of the maple syrup I produced this spring into several different pure maple foods. This photo shows maple cream, molded maple sugar or maple candy, and granulated maple sugar. These are all extremely versatile products that can be used in many ways. Maple is more than just something you put on pancakes.
Looking for Athletic Enthusiasts for Product Testing
Are you a marathon runner, mountain bike racer, ski mountaineer, road cyclist, an avid hiker, a logger or a farmer? Do you exercise regularly and use some type of energy food/drink (GU or Clif Bars, etc.) to provide you with the get up and go you need to complete your work/workout of choice?
If so, you should consider trying Maple Energy Food produced by Little Hogback Farm from 100% pure VT Maple Syrup. The health benefits of pure maple sugar are well documented, and the energy provided from these treats will blow your mind. Instead of using a processed energy food product, consider a 100% natural energy food made from complex sugars found in the sap of maple trees. What could be better?
If you are interested in trying some of these amazing energy treats during your next marathon, long hike, or long day cutting firewood send me an email (see contact us) or a message on Facebook (Little Hogback Farm). All I ask is that you provide some feedback on how you feel these energy food products compare to others you have tried.
The Middlebury Farmer’s Market in Middlebury, VT opens for the season tomorrow and Little Hogback Farm will be there.
At the very premature end of the 2012 sugaring season I sold 700 gallons of sap to Fiddlehead Brewing Company www.fiddleheadbrewing.com for their take on a traditional VT brew. They call it “Frog Run” after the last sap run when the peepers start peeping, signaling the end of the sugaring season. I look forward to sampling our collective efforts!
After a less than stellar sugaring season due to an early onset of summer like weather in late March, I transitioned quickly to mushroom season. Trees were harvested and cut to length, holes were drilled, sawdust spawn was inserted (shown here), and wax was applied. Many many times. Soon, logs that were innoculated last spring will begin to fruit and Shitake and Oyster mushrooms will be harvested.
Each sugaring season we generally have at least one outstanding sap run. This photo was taking this past Sunday, March 11th at the beginning of what will most likely have been our largest sap run of the season. Some of our trees produced almost 10 gallons of sap in three days of non stop ideal sugaring conditions. A typical good day is 1-2 gallons. We are still boiling the sap collected during this run and I will keep you posted on how it turns out.
Little Hogback Farm is participating in an online farmer’s market here in Addison and Chittenden counties.
After a summer spent making sugar, the trees in our woods are now storing it away. As the hills light up in a wide array of colors due to the shortening days and colder temperatures, it reminds us of the coming winter and then the return of sugaring season. The slope in the foreground of this photo shows some of the woods that we tap to make our maple products. It certainly is a special time of year!
