Spring has sprung for almost a month now, and with the sweet echoes of sap rising, it’s the end of sugaring season.

A great place to savor the pleasures of maple syrup firsthand is Burton, Ohio, a 200-year-old village in the heart of the region’s Amish country. At first glance, the New England-style town square seems simply to be a peaceful pastoral oasis, where nothing much could happen amidst the billowing snowdrifts of late winter.

Stately old sugar maples punctuate the village green, their leafless silhouettes etched against the dazzling blue of the morning sky. Then, a closer look reveals the sweet secret of every maple tree in town: a traditional tap and metal bucket, into which clear sap falls drop by precious drop.

If that’s not enough to convince you that sugaring season has begun, the steamy plumes swirling from the chimneys of the Burton Log Cabin will make your sweetest dreams come true. Situated at one end of the town square, the Log Cabin has a working sugarhouse where maple lovers can watch the magical processes of syrup production. Inside the sugarhouse, steam rises from the bubbling sap inside the evaporator — and the mouthwatering aroma of maple syrup fills the air.

The time-honored production process is explained by Thad Blair, a veteran syrup maker who began learning the local sugaring traditions at the eager age of five. “It all begins with the tree,” he says, going on to describe his snowy treks from one maple to the next as he gathers the sap that will be transformed into syrups and confections.

Sugaring season is defined by the whims of almost-springtime weather, requiring precise climatic conditions to inspire the running of the sap that will become maple syrup. Freezing temperatures at night, followed by warmer days, drive the sucrose-rich sap from the roots of the maple tree to its branches. Harvesting occurs during the sap’s inner-tree journey via a tap carefully driven into the bark of the maple, which allows the sap to drip into a metal bucket.

Making maple syrup is a centuries-old technique that calls for carefully boiling down the season’s harvest of “sweetwater” (as it was known to Native Americans). As the sap boils down, it thickens and takes on a distinctive amber color. It takes anywhere from 35 to 50 gallons of sap to produce a single gallon of maple syrup, with each tree’s tap hole contributing an average of around 10 gallons of sap.

Early in the season, when the weather is colder, the sap produces a sweeter, more delicate syrup. This light, mild syrup — often known as Grade A — is used on its own as a condiment and as the single ingredient in maple sugar and maple cream candy. As the weather warms, the sap becomes more diluted with water and requires longer boiling, which yields a darker, more robustly flavored syrup. Prized for its intense maple flavor and rich amber hue, Grade B syrup is typically used for baking and cooking.

After being surrounded by the tantalizing scent of maple-syrup-in-the-making, visitors enjoy venturing into the sugarhouse’s adjoining sweetshop. Behind the hewn-log counters, artisan candymakers handcraft a signature version of maple cream, one of America’s oldest confections.

The pure maple syrup is heated and cooled in classic copper kettles, which are spun on a device that resembles an old-fashioned potter’s wheel. As the translucent amber syrup spins, the candymaker aerates it using a wooden paddle. In a matter of minutes, the contents of the kettle are transformed into fluffy, pale gold maple cream. What do connoisseurs consider the best way to enjoy this decadent candy? Observation reveals: straight from a tasting spoon!

For maple fans with a pioneer do-it-yourself attitude, the candymakers also offer kid-friendly “maple stirs.” Based on the same techniques as maple cream, the recipe is as simple as it sounds. Hot maple syrup is poured into a bowl — and when it cools down a bit, you stir it to creamy perfection with a flat wooden stick (which conveniently doubles as a serving utensil).

Maple lovers (especially kids) often emerge from the Log Cabin ready for even more maple syrup. If it happens to be Sunday, they can indulge their cravings at one of the many local pancake breakfasts. These legendary social events and fundraisers are held everywhere from regional high schools to volunteer fire departments, where family recipes and friendly competition are the name of the game.

For example, in the nearby town of Chesterland, the flapjack flippers at West Geauga High School serve up sweet nostalgia with three kinds of hotcakes, including classic, buckwheat and blueberry. Since that may not be enough to soak up the season’s stash of pure Ohio maple syrup, diners can also fuel up on homemade French toast and sizzling pork sausages.

The all-you-can-eat feast showcases the combined efforts of high school students and kind-hearted Kiwanis Club cooks, assisted by such local luminaries as Ohio State Senator Tim Grendell and his wife Judge Diane Grendell (whose apron-clad figures can be seen roaming the cafeteria with steaming pots of fresh-brewed coffee).

Still can’t get enough maple syrup? Take home a jug of this all-American delicacy – and let your taste buds and imagination be your guides. In addition to its familiar role on the breakfast table, the syrup can be a transformative ingredient in all sorts of recipes. (Need proof? Try a dash in your favorite vinaigrette). Guaranteed to make any day a lot sweeter, pure maple syrup offers a taste of vintage Americana at its delicious best.

Recipe: Old-Fashioned Maple Stirs

1. In a heavy saucepan, boil pure maple syrup (you decide how much!) over very low heat without stirring.
2. Wait patiently until the temperature reaches 233°F on your candy thermometer.
3. Allow the syrup to cool to 110°F (and resist the temptation to stir).
4. Pour the syrup into serving bowls, then stir until it’s light and fluffy, with a creamy pale gold color.
5. Savor the irresistible natural sweetness of your homemade maple candy!

Fun Facts: The Luscious Lowdown on Ohio Maple Syrup

• Sugaring season lasts only three to five weeks, typically beginning in mid-to-late February.
• Geauga County is the largest maple syrup producer in the state of Ohio.
• Maple syrup has almost the same calcium content (ounce per ounce) as whole milk – and is a good source of zinc and manganese. For more nutrition info, click here: www.nutritiondata.com/facts/sweets/5602/2
• Maple trees are usually around 30-40 years old before they’re tapped – and can continue to produce maple syrup for generations. After each sugaring season, the maples heal themselves by closing the tap holes with additional bark and scar tissue.
• The Log Cabin is operated by volunteers for the Burton Chamber of Commerce – all proceeds fund community events and projects. For more maple info, visit www.burtonchamberofcommerce.org.

Laura Martin Bacon is DooF’s Culinary Creative Director and Intergalactic Alien Ambassador. In addition to her life on Planet DooF, she is a longtime writer for Williams-Sonoma.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 20th, 2010 at 2:12 pm and is filed under Community, Guest Globbers, Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.