ATKINSON, N.H. — High school sweethearts Bob and Janet Hansen are a busy couple these days. Bob does maple sugaring in their backyard, and Janet operates a bakery out of their Academy Avenue home.
Bob says he has always been interested in the "old-fashioned way" of doing things. And being in New England, he developed an interest in making maple syrup, especially since their property is lined with many beautiful sugar maple trees.
He started by searching the Internet for information on how to make maple syrup, the materials needed, and what to expect for "work time." He and Janet visited sugar shacks, and then purchased the supplies needed: buckets, taps, lids, a thermometer, and a good book on the basics.
In Bob's first year of sugaring, he tapped five trees and came away with about 2 gallons of finished syrup. Last year, he set out nine taps and ended up with more than 9 gallons of dark syrup. He said 2008 was a year to remember for most maplers.
"At one point, I was getting close to 4 gallons of sap per day from most of my trees," he said. "Talk about overload!"
Bob has been slowly adding more equipment, as he would like to expand his sugaring operation. Right now he produces enough for family and friends, not enough to sell. Presently working out of his garage, Bob said his next major project is building a sugar shack so he can start using wood full time. He now uses propane, but he said that is expensive.
"In the mapling field, I would be classified as a 'backyard hobby mapler,' only running 10 taps," he said. "I can put in more, but this is all I want for now, and can do for now. We enjoy providing our family and friends with samples, and Janet uses it a lot in her cooking."
Even running only 10 taps can be a lot of work.
"When the sap starts to flow, I call myself 'the sap widow,'" Janet said. "I know for the next five weeks I won't see much of my husband. Every spare minute, he is out boiling the sap. It's a small price to pay, though, for the wonderful taste of pure homemade maple syrup."
Bob said anyone who is interested in maple sugaring should go to the New Hampshire Maple Producers Association Web site, http://www.nhmapleproducers.com. Among other information, the site lists the sugar shacks that are open to the public. This weekend is also New Hampshire Maple Weekend, and sugar shacks throughout the state will open their doors to the public tomorrow and Sunday. For more information, check the NHMP Web site, or call 603-225-3757.
Two recipes using maple syrup (courtesy of Janet Hansen)
Maple Bran Muffins
Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup bran flakes
1 teaspoon baking soda
1âÑ2 cup raisins
1âÑ4 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup nonfat sour cream
1 cup pure maple syrup
1 egg
1 egg white
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray large muffin tins with nonstick oil. Combine flour, bran flakes and baking soda in a large bowl. Stir in raisins and walnuts. In a separate bowl, beat together sour cream, syrup and eggs. Pour liquid into flour mixture and mix for 20 seconds, till all is moistened (try not to over-mix). Fill muffin cups 2âÑ3 full. Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of muffin comes out clean. Makes 12 muffins. Low-fat and low cholesterol.
Maple Mustard Salmon
Ingredients:
4 serving-size salmon fillets (about 1 1âÑ2 pounds)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1âÑ4 cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon white pepper
pinch salt
1 teaspoon melted butter
For broiling: Preheat broiler. Remove any bones from fillets with pliers. Blend all remaining ingredients except butter. Spray broiler pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place fillets on pan and brush with butter. Coat with maple-mustard sauce. Place under broiler, leaving oven door tipped open. Continue to coat with remaining sauce while broiling. Salmon is done when flesh is light pink. Serve with pan juices spooned over fish.
This basting sauce is also good over chicken and other fish when grilling.
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Patricia Altomare invites questions and comments. E-mail patakitchen@yahoo.com or write c/o The Eagle-Tribune, 100 Turnpike St., North Andover, MA 01845.
Maple syrup baking tips
Janet Hansen is a professional baker, enjoying her 15th year as owner/operator of Confetti's Bakery, which she now runs out of her home in Atkinson, N.H. Because of her baking experience, she wanted to offer the following helpful baking tips for cooking with maple syrup instead of sugar:
Use 3âÑ4 cup syrup to every 1 cup of sugar. Decrease liquid by 2 to 4 tablespoons per 1 cup syrup used, since syrup contains more moisture than solid granulated sugar.
Add 1âÑ4 to 1âÑ2 teaspoon of baking soda to a recipe using pure maple syrup, because maple syrup has a slight acidity which needs to be neutralized for the batter to rise and form properly. However, do not add baking soda if the recipe calls for buttermilk or sour cream, since these liquids do the same thing.
Decrease the oven temperature by 25 degrees, since maple syrup tends to caramelize and burn on the top and edges before a batter using a solid sweetener, like sugar, does.
When measuring syrup, grease the container lightly and it will slide right out.
Combine the syrup with the liquid in a recipe, or melt shortening, then mix the syrup thoroughly with liquid shortening.
DID YOU KNOW?
A maple tree is usually at least 30 years old before it is tapped.
Up to four taps can be placed on one tree, depending on its size.
Only 10 percent of a tree's sap is collected in a year.
Forty gallons of sap are required to make 1 gallon of maple syrup.
Each tap yields 10 gallons of sap on average, per season.
Sap flow is heaviest for only about 10 to 20 days in early spring. For the sap to flow, daytime temperature must be above freezing and nighttime temperature must go below freezing.
3 MAPLE SYRUP IDEAS from Janet Hansen
1. When cooking acorn squash, drizzle a little maple syrup over the cut halves before baking. It adds a hint of sweetness.
2. When baking an apple pie, use maple syrup in place of sugar. Besides adding a bit of sweetness, it makes the pie juicier.
3. If you don't like the "twang" of plain yogurt and don't want the sugar in sweetened yogurts, add a tablespoon of pure maple syrup. You will have the sweetness and be eating all-natural.
