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Spring, 2007 Anyone depending on the weather for an income sure must like to gamble! In January of 2006, we didn’t know if we should start tapping due to the spring like temperatures or just cross our fingers and hope for winter to come. Well we crossed our fingers, winter did come, and by the end of the production season, we had a good year. More remarkable though was our record breaking production day – on March 23rd we made 600 litres of maple syrup! By the end of the day on March 24th, we had made another 400 litres. These two days produced 1/3 of our production for the entire season. What’s NEW in the bush? As soon as the pipeline was cleaned this past spring, Bill was in the bush with his brush saw, cutting brush and thinning out an area that has not been tapped since the ice storm of 1998. Next, main lines, lateral lines, and drop lines were installed. Our maple sugar bush operation is now more than 5,000 taps (900 taps added for this upcoming season). After the 2006 production year, we decided to keep the pipeline installed in the bush one kilometre east of the maple sugar house. Despite it’s old age, it did produce enough sap to make it worthwhile for us to tap again this upcoming season. What’s NEW in the shop? Last seasons new product, cinnamon maple butter, was a big success and now is a permanent product in our shop. For this spring, we have a gourmet vinaigrette and dipping sauce made by a local company called Just Wing It. The vinaigrette and dipping sauce is made with our maple syrup along with Mrs. McGarrigle’s maple mustard. It’s excellent drizzled on roasted potatoes, salmon, salad, or used as a dipping sauce for bread or chicken wings. We heard a lot of positive feedback on enclosing a maple recipe in last years newsletter, so we thought we’d share another one with you: Sweet and Sour Pork Chops:
Brown 4 pork chops in a small amount of fat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place in a 2 quart casserole dish. Bring to a boil the above ingredients. Pour sauce over chops, cover and bake at 350ºC till chops are tender (approximately 60 minutes). Serves 4. We continue to be open 7 days a week, year round, for purchasing maple syrup and other fine maple products either in our gift store or through mail order. We are also a vendor at the Brockville Farmer’s Market from May to October. In the off season, please feel free to drop in or call ahead to ensure someone is on site to give you or visiting family and friends a tour. For further information please feel free to call us 613-275-2893 or 877-440-7887 or visit our web site – www.gibbonsmaple.com. |
