more syrup

This is 8-9 more gallons from our two silver maple trees boiled down to about 1 quart of syrup!  We've been boiling for the last two days...it is very touchy and needs to be checked frequently the last 1/2 hour or so for the correct temperature.

I filled each jar 1/2 full for no apparent reason:)
It is so cherished here because it was processed for us, by us.  Priceless!

Maple gold

So....after much strange weather patterns (strange even for Wisconsin) we ended up boiling the sap we had collected so far.  Just for future reference....6 gallons of sap = 12 oz. Silver Maple Syrup!  Absolute amber GOLD!

The sap in maple trees flows during the day when temps are warmer than freezing, and usually collected before buds appear on the branches of the tree.  Sap spoils easily and should be treated as you would treat milk, needing to stay in cold storage, or boiled and processed to preserve.  Wisconsin weather had taken a cold turn for a while, and we had no flowing sap for the last week.  Now, it has returned to warmer daytime temps and our sap bags are filling again.  I am hoping to get at least one more jar of syrup from our 2 trees this season before the buds appear!

Sap!

We tapped our 2 Silver Maple trees this pre-spring as an attempt to grasp free liquid gold known as pure maple surup!  My husband Chris boiled down 2 gallons of the sap last week due to the weather weirdness and he was worried the sap would spoil.  Sap is to be treated like milk and can spoil as easily too.  However, we didn't realize that the 2 gallons would boil down to 6 oz. of surup...and turns to candy if boiled too long :)  Oh well, more sap is flowing in the bags and hopefully we can get enough for one decent sized quart!

 Maybe I'll use some for my granola!

Yay for Granola!

Yay for granola!  Here is the basic recipe I use for super good granola. 

 

GRANOLA

 

3 cups Old Fashioned oats

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/3 cup oil

2 Tbsp. water

1/3 cup honey or maple surup

 

Mix the oats brown sugar and salt in a bowl.  Set aside.  Heat the oil, water, and honey or surup in a saucepan until it just starts boiling.  Remove from heat and pour over dry ingredients.  Mix.  Spread mixture on 2 cookie sheets.  Bake at 250 for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.  Let cool.  As it cools, it will harden.  Use a spatula to pry up from the pan.  We love the larger clusters of granola this makes.  As you can see, you can add in all sorts of yummies to this.  In the picture above I have added 1/2 cup dried fruit, and 1/2 cup of slivered almonds, but the possibilities are endless!!  I usually add in chocolate chips to most batches I make, but these should be added after the granola is cooled so they don't melt.  Happy creations!!!