{AMISH COMMUNITY NEWS}
Vol. 4 No. 1
Our
February 15, 2012
Sweetest
Friday evening, Jan. 27, we had Ohio Maple Days trade show, with many people setting up their displays here at Joe’s Window Shop. We also had a carry-in with many different dishes made with maple syrup. Around 250 people walked through. It was very interesting. Making maple syrup has become quite sophisticated. On Saturday, Jan. 28, was the meeting also held at our window shop with speakers Dr. Gary Graham, Mr. Stephan Childs and Ms. Amy Stone. This was followed by a
Sweet News By Sarah Miller
Season chicken dinner served at noon. Over 100 had lunch. The Northeast Ohio Maple Institute and Maple Days in Ohio are two of the longest standing traditions in the Ohio Maple Industry which, itself, is 72 years old. This makes it the oldest ongoing Extension Program in the state. James Miller of Chipmunk Lane has already made maple syrup this year! And it is some of the best tasting syrup I’ve ever tasted, with the clearest color. Awesome!
When I was a little girl and we lived in We would take syrup and spread it on Sweet Memories Mercer, Pa., my Dad had a small Sugarbush. clean snow and make “spatza”. We also cooked By Rachel Miller He used to cook enough syrup for our own maple cream candy. It was good, but very use, and maybe a little more. rich! I remember we usually butchered pigs We liked to go back when we was boiling sap and too and had scrapple or liverwurst and pancakes with fresh have our lunch there. Dad used to boil eggs in the sap, so maple syrup for breakfast. That was so good … especially he had hard-boiled eggs. when I was old enough and had milked a couple cows and fed the chickens before eating.
Jan. 31, 2012 … I’m sure the maple syrup producers are thinking about tapping. Makes us wonder how good a season we will have this year. Lots of moisture, but not much cold By Donnie Miller weather. We always thought we must have cold weather to make the sap sweet. We must have freezing and warm weather to make the sap rise … or does the sap come down?
Sweet Thoughts
Let’s see if I can come up with something about sugaring. By William Bender It sure is different from sixty years ago. It is still the same sweet stuff. But 60 years ago, you didn’t hear anything about tubing, R.O., steam-a-ways, or forced air. Old Joe Yoder used to say, “Not before the 20th of February.” When we at home still had the IXL, we used to take a book along in the sugarhouse. With the arches today, you don’t have time to even sit! Since the boy put in the new arch, I don’t go to the sugarhouse by my lonesome, as I cannot keep up with watching the pans and keeping the fire going.
Geauga’s Sweetest Time … Old and New
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