HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance Times, 1995-04-12, Page 101lJTNE II AYMIXHINES
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With warm weather comes running sap
Dark maple syrup a growing
alternative for refined sugar
BY HEATHER VINCENT
Special to the Advance -Times
DUNGANNON — The Eyre family maple bush near
here is a going concern after only six years in the busi-
ness.
The Eyre brothers bought the 132 acre property as a
retirement project but with 7,000 taps and three pump-
ing stations, they Lind it has developed into more than
just a sideline. Lawrence, MervXn and Douglas Eyre
and their wives Dianne, Nellie and Dorothy live at the
hush in mobile homes during the tapping season.
With the unusually warm weather this year, the sea-
son was off to a slow start. Ideal temperatures for sap
to run well are five to six degrees celsius during the
day, without wind, and falling below zero at night. By
the end of last week, the weather had improved with
mild days and cool evenings.
The Eyre's maple bush is an operation which utiliz-
es modern technology such as a vacuum system for the
taps and plastic tubing as well as filtering and evapora-
tion techniques.
Lawrence Eyre said the bush is unique because of
the number of maple trees on one lot. Most maple bush
operations have to truck sap from a number of pump-
ing stations to the boiling house.
"All of our 7,000 taps are on one property. I don't
know of any other bush in the area which has this
many trees together," said Eyre.
The concentrated sap is still boiled in the traditional
method using a wood -stoked furnace. An average sea-
son has approximately 25 boiling days.
Maple syrup and products are gaining popularity,
not only with Canadians but also with tourists. The
Lyre's recognized this trend and have focused some of
their attention to marketing their product to tourists.
Along with the growing tourist trade, maplesyrup is
slowly beginning to he used as a replacement for white
sugar in baked goods. People with sensitivity to refined
sugar often use dark syrup which adds more maple fla-
vour to cooking. For every 250 millilitres of white sug-
ar, replace with 250 ml of syrup and decrease the liq-
uid, not oil or melted butter, in the recipe by 115 ml.
The uses for maple syrup are varied, including as a
traditional topping for pancakes and waffles. Also, it
can be used on fresh fruit or as a glaze for meat and
vegetables. Maple syrup has no fat or cholesterol and
has a sugar density of approximately 66-67 per cent.
Maple syrup can be frozen and should be kept uno-
pened in a cool, dry place. Once opened, syrup should
be refrigerated. ••
Maple products can be purchased at the bush during
the season or through Mrs. Campbell Eyre in Hensall
year-round.
APPLE PAN DOWDY
1 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vinegar
Combine in pan and cook until thick. Add:
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
Peel apples. Slice into 8" square pan and pour
above sauce on top. Combine:
1 cup flour
3/4 tsp! salt
3 tbsp. shortening
2 tbsp. baking powder
3/4 cup milk
Drop by spoonful on apples. Bake 375 degrees
for 40 minutes.
•
•
Saps running...at
the Eyre Brothers Maple Bush
near Dungannon. Left, previ-
ous bush owner Elgin Rich-
ardson stokes the furnace
with wood for boiling sap.
Top right, Nellie Eyre tests the
liquid, bottom right, maple
sap is monitored using the
traditional bucket method to
determine how fast the sap is
flowing. On an average day,
the sap flows at a rate of 180
drops per minute.
N
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Adults $10.00 Each
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Children Under 12 years
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Ps 14
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