The Rural Voice, 1992-03, Page 36RURAL LIVING
Marvelous March &
Making Maple Syrup
March has to be the one month of the
year that leaves many of us a bit frustrated
and itchy. I really don't think of it as a
winter month and normally it is far too
cold to be a spring month. For winter
sports enthusiasts, March has a tendency
to be mucky; never a time to count on for
snowy conditions so necessary for ski
trips or snowmobile adventures.
The seeds have been ordered and, in
some cases, already started in flats in-
doors, and gardeners can be seen anx-
iously eyeing the garden, eagerly awaiting
the warmer weather so they can get out
and start poking around, checking on win-
ter damage and how their favourites sur-
vived the winter.
March can be the sweetest time of the
year for those hearty souls who tap the
mighty maples and harvest that sweet sap.
For them, the long hours of checking lines
and hot hours in the sugar shack can be
the finest time of the year.
When we were kids, there was a very
different method of sugaring off than to-
day's modern tubing, gravity pumps and
closed -in sugaring pans. Years ago, we
would gaily trudge and flounder through
the deep snow from tree to tree, collecting
the odd assortment of cans and pails that
were in various stages of fullness. The
planning and hard work of tapping the
trees had already been done by the owner,
our neighbour John Hindmarsh. We emp-
tied the sweet, clear contents into a large
horse trough that was set up on cement
blocks. Logs were fed into the fire from
either end of the trough. Late at night, the
last one to leave — which, I believe, was
Mr. Hindmarsh — covered the trough
with a sheet of old steel to keep the snow
and little woodland creatures away.
Early the next morning, the fire would
be started up if it had gone out and the
whole day of sugaring off would con-
tinue. Extra volunteers would saunter in
during the day and once school was out
the wood was filled with the sing -song
voices of children clambering up the
slopes from tree to tree to collect the
day's drippings.
Once the sap had been collected, you
knew that spring truly was around the cor-
ner. You could feel the heat of the sun on
your back as you walked into the bush and
as you moved among the trees. The sun-
ny days that drew the sap up into the trees
were also opening up the creek, so you
could hear the gurgling stream more
clearly after a winter of being muffled
below several feet of snow. Yes, when I
think back on pleasant adventures in
March, maybe it could be called a month
of spring.
Eating maple syrup is, of course, the
best part of March. I like it unadorned —
and not adorning anything else, for that
matter. We used to cut a slice of home-
made bread into finger strips and dip them
into a small bowl of maple syrup. I say a
small bowl because Mom would keep
close tabs on how much we ate. Given
half the chance, we would pour it into a
glass and drink it.
To help us get through to the next
month, here is a maple syrup and bean
recipe. Don't expect to rush this recipe,
since you do have to soak the beans over-
night. If you want to try a quicker maple
syrup recipe, there is also a carrot recipe
with a great orange and maple syrup fla-
vour.
Maple Baked Beans
4 cups dried white beans
1/2 cup chili sauce
1 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon salt
1 medium onion, diced
5 or 6 pieces of smoked pork (optional)
Rinse beans and soak in plenty of water
overnight.
Drain beans and place in a Dutch oven,
and add water to cover. Cover pot, bring
to a boil and remove from heat. Let stand
for 1 hour. Mix in remaining ingredients.
Cover and bake in a bean pot at 300 de-
grees F for 4 hours, adding more water if
needed.
Maple Orange Carrots
1 pound fresh carrots, washed and peeled
1 orange, peeled and cut into bite -size
pieces
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh orange rind
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 to 3 tablespoons dark maple syrup
Slice carrots crosswise into rounds, or
lengthwise into sticks. Add carrots to
boiling salted water and cover pan. Cook
over medium heat for 10 to 20 minutes or
until tender; drain. Add orange pieces
and rind, butter or margarine, and syrup to
carrots. Place over low heat and stir gent-
ly until butter or margarine is melted and
oranges are heated. Serve immediately.
Serves 6 very lucky people.0
Rhea Hamilton -Seeger, in addition to
working in adver-tising production for
The Rural Voice, raises two children, and
is a skilled cook and gardener.
32 THE RURAL VOICE