If New England had a flavor, it would be the rich, sweet taste of maple syrup.
In springtime, when the weather begins to warm, the sap begins flowing from maples - and harvesters capture the clear liquid that will eventually be made into an array of maple-flavored products.
This year's sugaring season arrived early because of the warm winter. Taps have been flowing for several weeks. At Ioka Valley Farm on Route 43 in Hancock, the Leab family is busy extracting and processing sap from 2,400 taps.
The Leab family has operated Ioka Valley Farm since 1936, and began producing maple products about eight years ago. Robert Leab welcomes visitors to the humid maple sugaring house, answering questions about the process that range from the tree's initial tapping to the final product's many uses.
Sign of spring
The six-week maple sugaring season generally begins at the end of February when sugars begin to travel upward from the root. April often brings the end of the season when the buds break on the trees and starches begin to develop.
The traveling sugars from the root of the tree are intercepted by taps, which are positioned in different trunk locations each year to allow for healing of previously drilled areas. The small size of the modern plastic taps causes less damage to the tree than the more traditional taps. Typically only hobbyists use the traditional methods and tools of sugaring, as such methods are very labor intensive.
Leab notes that "freezing nights and thawing days" create the ideal conditions for the maple sap to flow from the taps. This clear liquid, which contains only 2 percent sugar at this point, travels in tubes to storage tanks. From these tanks, the liquid is pumped to the maple sugar house where the condensing process begins.
"It takes about 40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of maple syrup," says Leab, "but we've been averaging about 50 to 1 this year." Approximately 5 gallons of sap pass through the boiler each hour, creating 300 gallons of steam which fill the air and flow from the roof of the sugar house.
Purification process
After boiling at very specific temperatures the sap is eventually condensed to its final maple-colored state. The final step in the process involves filtering the syrup to remove any "sugar sand" that has accumulated in the process. Leab likens these mineral deposits to hard water.
The properties of the final product are a product of the environment alone. The beginning of the season typically yields a light amber syrup, but as the season progresses, the syrup gradually becomes darker. The lighter syrup has more sugar content, but less maple flavor. The darker syrup, such as Grade B, is less sweet and has a bitter maple flavor. According to Leab, "It's all done by Mother Nature."
Ioka Valley Farm is holding maple boiling demonstrations and featuring their pure maple products in weekend breakfasts at their cafe through April 7, from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.. They can be reached at (413) 738-5915 or www.taconic.net/IokaValleyFarm.
In recognition of Massachusetts Maple Month, many restaurants are offering special menu items. Experienced cooks know that maple can flavor much more than pancakes.
Of course, maple desserts are traditional favorites, such as this recipe for oatmeal maple cookies:
½ cup Crisco
1 cup maple syrup
½ cup milk
1 egg, beaten
1 ½ cups flour
½ tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
Add above ingredients together and mix well.
1 ½ cups oatmeal
½ cup raisins
½ cup chopped nuts
Mix into the first ingredients. Drop by tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool on rack. Makes 2 dozen cookies.
Here is a list of the Berkshire County sugar houses:
BECKET
Three Bears Sugarhouse (413) 623-6021
668 County Rd.
CUMMINGTON
Maple Hollow Sugarhouse (413) 634-5595
337 Stage Rd.
Temple's Sugarhouse (413) 634-2194
115 Dodwell's Rd.
Tessiers Sugarhouse (413) 634-5022
Located at 60 Fairgrounds Rd.
FLORIDA
Circle J Maple Syrup (413) 663-7604
48 Oleson Rd.
HANCOCK
Ioka Valley Farm (413) 738-5915
3475 Rte. 43
LENOX
Mill Brook Sugarhouse (413) 298-3473 or 637-0474
Turn E on New Lenox Rd. off Rte 7 & 20, halfway between Lenox and Pittsfield (near carwash). Sugarhouse 2 miles on L.
NEW ASHFORD
Jennings Brook Farm (413) 458-5274
Rte 7 to New Ashford, then Mallory Rd., then Beach Hill Rd. Halfway up Reach Hill Rd. on L.
OTIS
Deer Run Maples (413) 269-7588
135 Ed Jones Rd.
SOUTH EGREMONT
Turner Farm Sugarhouse (413) 528-5710
11 Phillips Rd.
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Berkshire County Homes Celebrating Holiday Cheer
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
There's holiday cheer throughout the Berkshires this winter.
Many homeowners are showing their holiday spirit by decorating their houses. We asked for submissions so those in the community can check out these fanciful lights and decor when they're out.
We asked the homeowners questions on their decorations and why they like to light up their houses.
In Great Barrington, Matt Pevzner has decorated his house with many lights and even has a Facebook page dedicated to making sure others can see the holiday joy.
Located at 93 Brush Hill Road, there's more than 61,000 lights strewn across the yard decorating trees and reindeer and even a polar bear.
The Pevzner family started decorating in September by testing their hundreds of boxes of lights. He builds all of his own decorations like the star 10-foot star that shines done from 80-feet up, 10 10-foot trees, nine 5-foot trees, and even the sleigh, and more that he also uses a lift to make sure are perfect each year.
"I always decorated but I went big during COVID. I felt that people needed something positive and to bring joy and happiness to everyone," he wrote. "I strive to bring as much joy and happiness as I can during the holidays. I love it when I get a message about how much people enjoy it. I've received cards thanking me how much they enjoyed it and made them smile. That means a lot."
Pevzner starts thinking about next year's display immediately after they take it down after New Year's. He gets his ideas by asking on his Facebook page for people's favorite decorations. The Pevzner family encourages you to take a drive and see their decorations, which are lighted every night from 5 to 10.
In North Adams, the Wilson family decorates their house with fun inflatables and even a big Santa waving to those who pass by.
The Wilsons start decorating before Thanksgiving and started decorating once their daughter was born and have grown their decorations each year as she has grown. They love to decorate as they used to drive around to look at decorations when they were younger and hope to spread the same joy.
"I have always loved driving around looking at Christmas lights and decorations. It's incredible what people can achieve these days with their displays," they wrote.
The Wilsons' invite you to come and look at their display at 432 Church St. that's lit from 4:30 to 10:30 every night, though if it's really windy, the inflatables might not be up as the weather will be too harsh.
In Pittsfield, Travis and Shannon Dozier decorated their house for the first time this Christmas as they recently purchased their home on Faucett Lane. The two started decorating in November, and hope to bring joy to the community.
"If we put a smile on one child's face driving by, then our mission was accomplished," they said.
Many homeowners are showing their holiday spirit by decorating their houses. We asked for submissions so those in the community can check out these fanciful lights and decor when they're out.
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