The Art and Craft of Mapling with the folks from MapleMama

MAPLE SYRUP IS ABOUT AS OLD FASHIONED AS ONE CAN GET IN NEW ENGLAND BUT LIKE MANY ARTISIONAL PRODUCTS, INNOVATION IS CHANGING EVERYTHING. HERE IS A STORY ABOUT HOW ONE FAMILY NEAR ME IS USING MAPLE SYRUP TO CREATE A COMPLETELY NEW CRAFTED PRODUCT.

It’s hard to avoid maple sugaring in much of rural New England, a season that sometimes begins as early as mid-February or as late as the end of March, as it was this year. Sugaring season is when the daytime temperatures rise above freezing during the day but drop below freezing at night, and it ends once the sugar maples bloom.

MAPLE SUGARING SEASON STARTS WHEN THE DAYTIME TEMPERATURES RISE ABOVE FREEZING BUT THE NIGHT TEMPS DIP BELOW 32° F. JOE LAUR, OWNER OF THIS PROPERTY CHECKS HIS SAP BUCKETS DAILY WAITING FOR THE SEASON TO BEGIN. THIS YEAR IT STARTED IN MID-MARCH.

The scent of maple steam wafting out of sugar shacks is everywhere, and it’s just one of the joys of living in the Northeastern US. Sugaring is being rediscovered by an entirely new generation of course, just as other craft movements are so it’s really not unusual to see sugar bushes (groves of sugar maples) with the blue plastic pipes running for hundreds of yards near most any farm. But thanks to my friend Cheryl who used to work with me at Hasbro, I was given a chance to see a real old fashioned maple sugar shack in action a few weeks ago – and now I think I am kind of addicted (as if I don’t need another reason to move to the Berkshires or Vermont!).

I REALLY APPRECIATED THESE METAL. SUGARING PAILS AS MOST NEW ENGLAND SUGAR BUSHES USE BLUE PLASTIC FLEX TUBES WHICH ARE MORE PRACTICAL, BUT SOMETHING GETS LOST IN THE EXPERIENCE GAME. WHEN SUGARING ON YOUR OWN FARM, THIS ENHANCES THE PROCESS.

NEW SUGARING TAPS ARE PLASTIC LIKE THIS ONE, AND ON COLD NIGHTS, THE SAP ACTUALLY FREEZES. (WHICH INCREASES THE SUGAR CONTENT WITH THE LIQUID THAT IS LEFT IN THE PAIL – YOU CAN ACTUALLY TASTE THE SWEETNESS!

My friend Cheryl convinced me (with just a phone call as it really doesn’t take too much convincing) to go with her to a sugaring facility in western Massachusetts – and what I discovered was that conventional and traditional methods can be used today, especially if one is only making  a few dozen gallons for home use (or for friends).

JOE LAUR OWNER OF THE MAPLE MAMA BRAND AND THIS GREAT AUTHENTIC SUGAR SHACK.

The owner of this small sugar shack is Joe Laur, and while I was not expecting what I discovered (the old-fashioned tap and bucket method he uses around his property), I was told by Cheryl that he (like us) was once in the corporate world, but now lives on a nice private farm-like property on a river and through the woods in the Berkshire mountains of western Massachusetts. Yes. I wanted to see this, for it will add to my dream of owning my own place and making maple syrup one day.

A SUGAR SHACK NEEDS LOTS OF DRY, AGED FIREWOOD. LOTS.

What I discovered was that while Joe makes syrup for friends and neighbors, what he does is own another company that produces not syrup at all, but a maple soda (oops, I mean a craft maple beverage- gotta love a completely new product!). Joe and his wife invented it themselves quite simply one day while trying to make a lower-sugar drink for their kids. Sparkling water flavored with maple syrup and whatever other fruit they had in the kitchen.  What they invented was actually a healthy soda because as you probably know, maple has a ton of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

JOE COLLECTS THE SAP DAILY ONCE THE SEASON BEGINS, AND THIS YEAR IT WAS LATE. SUGARING SEASON IN THE NORTHEAST USUALLY BEGINS IN FEBRUARY AND ENDS WHEN THE SUGAR MAPLE TREES BEGIN TO BLOOM, WHICH THIS YEAR WAS JUST A FEW WEEKS AGO.

In case you are interested – MaplemMama is relatively new, I know that he is offering it at some food festivals this coming year so look for it, and a few of our local Whole Foods carry it he says.  Oh, there are flavors too.  I didn’t try the raspberry as for some reason I don’t like the taste of raspberry but I think I could live on the Vanilla Bean and Lemon Ginger flavored flavors!  I even looked for it at the Whole Foods in Cambridge this week (but couldn’t find it), but it’s now on Amazon too.

JOE STARTED MAPLE MAMA WITH A SIMPLE PREMISE – TO MAKE A HEALTHIER DRINK FOR HIS KIDS. IT HAS NOW GROWN INTO A BIGGER BUSINESS, BUT AT HOME HE STILL TAPS HIS OWN TREES AND BOILS HIS OWN SAP FOR FRIENDS, FAMILY, AND NEIGHBORS RIGHT HERE IN MASSACHUSETTS.

I’m not exactly sure why they named it ‘MapleMama’, but out in the forest, Joe showed me something that might be why. ( A 250-YEAR-OLD SUGAR MAPLE!). Joe asked us if we wanted to see the whole sugaring process up close from beginning to end. Of course!

WE WERE ABLE TO PRESSURE MY FRIEND CHERYL TO TAKE A SWIG STRAIGHT FROM THE SAP BUCKET. OF COURSE, IT HAD ICE IN IT TOO, WHICH WHEN IT RELEASED FROM THE BOTTOM, SPLASHED HER. SHE HADTO AGREE THAT IT DID TASTE VERY GOOD.

Now…if you knew Cheryl – this might just be the best part of our day in the woods.  First, the entire idea of Cheryl in the woods is something worth photographing. First off, she didn’t even have boots let alone sneakers or socks. What she was wearing was something like patent leather Chanel flats.  Oh, Cheryl.

Holding her elbow though we helped her be a good sport and trudged through the snow, letting her step in the tractor ruts. Yup. Cheryl. Tractor ruts. I think she found it totally worth the effort though for a few hundred feet out behind the barns we came across the classic New England calendar motif of giant ancient sugar maples with gorgeous old galvanized buckets on them, each one full of maple sap. These weren’t just for decoration, clearly, Joe was all about the total experience of sugaring. I get it. I would be too.

HOW PERFECT IS THIS – SUGAR MAPLE WOOD HEATING THE EVAPORATOR THAT REDUCES MAPLE SAP!

Maple sap is like water before it is evaporated over a few days in the sugar shack, but as Joe demonstrated – when it freezes, it condenses the unfrozen part which then tastes a bit sweeter and even a touch mapley. He handed me a bucket to taste (yes, right out of the frozen bucket) and then he handed it to Cheryl. Always a good sport, she sipped a few swigs but then the ice that was frozen to the bottom fell and maple sap splashed all over her Dior coat (or whatever coat it was). We all laughed, and I just wished that I had caught that image on my camera.

THE SAP THAT JOE LAUR COLLECTS IS BROUGHT DOWN NEARLY THE OLD FASHIONED WAY (BUT NOT WITH HORSE AND SLEIGH, BUT WITH A TRACTOR). IT IS THEN FED INTO A TANK THAT CAREFULLY ALLOWS IT TO FEED INTO THE EVAPORATOR.

FRESH MAPLE SAP LOOKS LIKE WATER, BUT IT DOES TASTE SLIGHTLY SWEET EVEN STRAIGHT FROM THE TREE. EVEN SWEETER IF IT FREEZES A BIT WHICH CONCENTRATES THE SUGARS.

IT TAKES A FEW DAYS FOR THE SAP TO REDUCE BUT WHO CARES BECAUSE THIS SLOW PROCESS IS WHAT MAKING MAPLE SYRUP IS ALL ABOUT. FEEDING THE FIRE, THE SMELL OF WOOD SMOKE, THE SCENT OF MAPLE STEAM. IT DOESNT GET MORE NEW ENGLAND THAN THIS.

JOE LEFT A JOB IN THE CORPORATE WORLD. (LIKE ME AND MY FRIEND CHERYL) TO DO WHAT HE LOVES MOST. ON THIS SMALL FARM IN THE BERKSHIRES OF MASSACHUSETTS WHERE HE HAS A LARGE VEGETABLE GARDEN, FRUIT TREES, A SWIMMING HOLE, SOLAR ENERGY, AND A SMALL BEVERAGE BUSINESS. PRETTY PERFECT LIFE, I’LL SAY.

I wanted though to give a shout out to Joe’s Maple Mama Craft Beverage (it’s non-alcoholic so don’t let the word craft throw you!).  I hope it takes off, not only because it’s good but because I liked the whole family story behind it. There are other flavors like Cold Brew Coffee and more to come I hear, so look for it – maybe in a Whole Foods or in an organic section of your market.

LASTLY, JOE SHOWED ME SOME OF HIS OLD MAPLE TAP COLLECTION. HE HAS DOZENS AND DOZENS OF THESE, MANY MADE IN THE 1800’S WITH DATES ON THEM. AS A COLLECTOR OF. ‘THINGS’ MYSELF,  THIS WAS ALL I NEEDED – TO DISCOVER SOMETHING ELSE TO COLLECT!