The Tapline. I n d i a n a M a p l e S y r u p A s s o c i a t i o n Maple Weekend by Eric Lee

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1 The Tapline I n d i a n a M a p l e S y r u p A s s o c i a t i o n S p r i n g I n s i d e t h i s i s s u e : Message from the President 2 Canning Day 2 State Fair Volunteers Twin Lakes Camp Begins Sugarin 2018 Season Production Survey Recipe: Smoked Canadian Bacon Maple Weekend by Eric Lee The third annual Maple Weekend was held March 10-11, and eight sugarmakers throughout the state participated this year: Beachler s Sugar Bush, Claypool Harris Sugar Bush, Greencastle Hinkle-Garton Farmstead, Bloomington Maple Cliff Farm, Waveland Maplewood Farms, Brownsville Sweet Tree Farms, Wabash Rutherford Sugar Camp, New Castle Zimmerman Sugar Bush, Argos Mexico. Dave Hamilton said, One guy stopped who had been in the eastern part of the state and remarked that I had signs out everywhere! Upon questioning I discovered that he had been near Kevin Hart's place. Welcome sign at Maple Cliff Farm near Waveland. The Tapline 32 Winding Way Anderson, IN (765) Syrup for sale at the Hinkle-Garton Farmstead during Maple Weekend. Interest and attendance is increasing each year, thanks to word of mouth and advertising on the IMSA website and Facebook page. Rutherford Sugar Camp had approximately 175 visitors, which was a significant increase from last year s attendance. Visitors came from Anderson, Arlington, Avon, Centerville, Edinburg, Frankton, Lapel, Greenfield, Indianapolis, Lafayette, Las Vegas, Manilla, Markleville, Muncie, Middletown, New Castle, Pendleton, Southport, Springport, Terre Haute, and Yorktown. One visitor was from Tlaxcala, Silas Beachler reported that the crowd at his open house has increased by about 100 people each year. This year the Beachler s hosted approximately 300 people and served complimentary pancakes and sausage, with maple syrup of course! Samples of cotton candy were also provided. One couple at Art and Becky Harris s event came from Texas to visit their daughter in Carmel. They intentionally drive to Indiana over Maple Weekend to get their maple fix. This was their second year for doing so. Last year they had originally planned to drive to Maine during the maple season but ruled that out given the distance from Texas and the potential for hazardous winter driving weather. Continued on p. 6. 1

2 Message from the President by Dave Hamilton As I write this column on March 21, it is spring according to the calendar; but with freezing temperatures and four inches of snow, it is still winter. At any rate, by the time you read this, the maple season will be over in the Hoosier state, and we can reflect on the season past. We all can probably make some changes to our operations to make the process more efficient and less labor consuming. Look elsewhere in this issue for a glimpse of the Indiana maple season Canning Day Saturday, May 19 Harris Sugar Bush 999 E County Road 325N Greencastle, IN IMSA sells approximately 600 gallons of maple syrup at the Indiana State Fair. These sales are the association s major source of funding. The syrup is purchased in bulk and then bottled in various sizes. With that much syrup to bottle in one day, plenty of help is needed. Be a part of the crew as we fill the containers, attach labels, rack the jugs for cooling, pack cases for delivery to the fairgrounds, and clean up. Volunteers are also needed to transport and store the syrup jugs until setup day at the state fair. There s a job for everyone. Come for the entire day if you can, but even a few hours are helpful as many hands make for light and enjoyable work. Participating in Canning Day is a great time to visit with fellow IMSA members, catch up on the latest industry news, hear how the 2018 season went around the state, If you have not previously participated in Maple Weekend, I encourage you to consider signing up for next year. For the price of two gallons of syrup, you will get a liability sign, some road signs, and great exposure on social media. The registration cost is minimal compared to the amount of syrup you will sell to visitors. Kevin Hart, who is the chairman of Maple Weekend, is doing a great job of promoting this event. The number of visitors at my sugar camp more than quadrupled over last year. Canning day is the next IMSA event, and information can be found below. The more people who participate, the less work each has to do. Art and Becky Harris open up their attractive sugar camp for IMSA members to bottle about 600 gallons of maple syrup for the fair. I will be recovering from knee surgery and probably will not be of much help, which is what some think about my past efforts anyway! Also in this issue you will have an opportunity to sign up to volunteer at the Indiana State Fair. Please give this some serious thought as everyone who participates enjoys the experience. I hope to see you at Canning Day and at the state fair. pick up new ideas for bottling operations in your own sugarhouse, and tour one of the largest maple syrup operations in the state. Setup begins first thing in the morning at 9 am, and bottling continues until finished, usually around 4 pm. A potluck lunch will be held at noon. Meat dishes and drinks will be provided. Bring a salad, side dish, or dessert to share, along with your own plate, cup, and table service. To help with planning for this event and the meal, please notify Ron Burnett by May 14 if you will be participating in Canning Day. Ron can be reached at (765) or ronburnett88@gmail.com. For information about overnight accommodations in the Greencastle area, contact the Art and Becky Harris at (765) or aharris@joink.com. Also, visit the Putnam County Visitors Bureau at State Fair Volunteers The 2018 Indiana State Fair runs from August 3 to August 19. This is the only event that the IMSA participates in to raise funds for the organization. The proceeds from the syrup and confections sold make it possible to keep the annual dues low, to subsidize the annual meeting meal, to provide maple experts as speakers at the annual meeting, and to support educational institutions that promote maple syrup. Please consider volunteering at the IMSA Sugar Shack in the Pioneer Village. The shack is open from 9 am to 9 pm each day of the fair. Volunteers will be reimbursed for the admission price and parking cost. Also, a small stipend is provided for food. It is best if you can wear pioneer attire while helping out at the fair. It is a great experience, and you will meet a lot of people from all over the world at the same time as promoting the Hoosier maple industry. Contact Dave Hamilton prior to July 20 to volunteer. He can be reached at dave@rutherfordsugarcamp.com or (765)

3 Twin Lakes Camp Begins Sugarin Twin Lakes Camp is situated on 210 acres of scenic property near Hillsboro in Fountain County. As its name suggests, the camp has two lakes. This camp and conference center opened in 1950 for the purpose of providing campers with a safe, challenging, and enjoyable adventure and educational experience in the great outdoors. an evaporator made by Sunrise Metal to the camp. On January 22, Dave Hamilton, Melvin Hawks, and Becky Harris made the trip to Hillsboro to deliver the evaporator just in time for the 2018 sugaring season. With the assistance of Tyler Pressley, the camp s caretaker, the evaporator was quickly unloaded and set up for operation. Ashley Nierman is the Outdoor Education Coordinator at Twin Lakes and also an IMSA member. To assist Ashley in educating campers about the process of making maple syrup from sap gathered on the property, IMSA donated Easy does it! Tyler Pressley unloads the new evaporator. Becky Harris, Tyler Pressley, Ashley Nierman, and Melvin Hawks. Dave Hamilton is hiding behind the camera. What a little beauty! The brand spanking new Sunrise Metal evaporator is ready to boil! 3

4 2018 Maple Weekend in Pictures Young visitors toss rings over a spike in the log beam at Harris Sugar Bush. Doug Hamilton bottles syrup at Rutherford Sugar Camp. Art & Becky Harris s Golden Retrievers are the center of attention. The Harris s have an attractive display in their store. Raymond Kinzie explains gathering maple sap at Beachler s Sugar Bush. Art Harris explains how an evaporator works. Educational materials for visitors to browse at Hinkle-Garton Farmstead. Visitors enjoy pancakes with maple syrup at Beachler s. 4

5 2018 Maple Weekend in Pictures A picturesque entry to Maple Cliff Farm. You can never start them too young on maple syrup! Visitors to Rutherford Sugar Camp. Aaron King s sugar house at Maple Cliff Farm. Kevin Hart with a group of elementary school teachers who visited Maplewood Farms. James Enser explains his operations to John & Eliza Metzger at Sweet Tree Farms. The evaporator at Sweet Tree Farms. Harrison Hart hams it up for the camera while Grandma Judy Hart looks on at Maplewood Farms. Millie Graham and Anna Beachler are all smiles on Maple Weekend at Beachler s Sugar Bush. 5

6 2018 Maple Weekend (continued from p. 1) At the time they were visiting Indiana, the third nor easter was raging in New England. They visited Beachler s Sugar Bush last year and Harris s Sugar Bush this year. Next year they plan to attend an open house at a sugar bush they haven t yet been to. If you think Texas is a long drive from Indiana for a taste of maple syrup, how about Romania and South Korea? The Hinkle-Garton Farmstead is a non-profit owned historic site in Monroe County. Danielle Bachant-Bell reported she, her husband Mike Bell, and Mattie, their Australian Shepherd dog, hosted approximately 75 visitors on Saturday. In addition to plenty of locals and folks from surrounding areas, there were visitors from Texas, Wisconsin, Romania, and South Korea. The location of the site in a university town affords the chance to educate many who would not otherwise experience maple syrup and the process of making it. Visitors were able to watch the evaporation process, chat with volunteers collecting sap, and check out the sap buckets. Inside the 1892 main farmhouse, visitors enjoyed maple tea and baked goods made with maple syrup, including cookies from the IMSA cookbook. Displays about the history of sugaring in Indiana and sugaring at the farmstead, including historic wooden spiles donated to the site, were also inside the house. Visitors didn't have to go away empty handed since maple syrup in an assortment of bottle sizes was for sale as well as syrup-related how-to books and cookbooks, and even tapping kits and basic supplies. One visitor to the farmstead from last year said it was her first sugar camp experience, and she was hooked. She made sure to return this year. Another recalled memories of watching her mother boil sap on the wood stove, while the mother from Romania translated to her young son in their native tongue the sugaring process as she learned it from the sugar maker. Art Harris explains how a sap ladder works. Kevin & Lisa Hart s dog Maple enjoys a cozy fire. Dave Hamilton prepares his filter press. Visitors trek through the sugar bush at Maplewood Farms Season Production Survey by Dave Hamilton I ed a few producers about their season this year and got responses from ten sugarmakers, four from the North region and three each from the Central and South regions. This informal survey sampled only a small number of producers and should not be considered indicative of state-wide production. The earliest tapping date reported was January 8 in the North region. Other tapping dates were on January 13, 18, 20, 25, and 27. Three other producers tapped in early February. Eight out the ten who reported stopped boiling within ten days of each other from March 15 to March 28. Two sugarmakers in the South region quit on February 20 and 28. All ten reported an above-average production season. A few of these did re-tap in the middle of February. Some stopped production because the sap was buddy. The average sugar content varied from 1.5 Bx to 2.2 Bx, with a state-wide average of 1.9 Bx. Most sugarmakers in the North region reported a sugar content of less than 2.0 Bx. 6

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8 Ingredients: Smoked Canadian Bacon Directions: 1½ quarts water ⅜ cup Kosher salt 1 Tbsp. pink salt #1 ¼ cup maple syrup 3/4 cup brown sugar 4 garlic cloves, peeled & crushed 2 dried bay leaves 1½ tsp. dried thyme, oregano or sage 1½ tsp. black peppercorns 1 lemon, juiced 1 cup ice 4 to 5 lbs. boneless, centercut pork loin 1. Boil water & then simmer. Add all ingredients except ice & pork, stirring until the salts and sugars dissolve. Remove from heat and add ice. Let cool 1 hour. Seal in a gallon-size 2-layer Ziploc bag. Chill for 1 hour. 2. Add pork loin to bag & re-seal. Chill for 2 days, turning every 12 hours. 3. Remove loin from bag, rinse, and pat dry. Discard brine. Place loin on a baking rack inside a pan. Chill for 24 hours. 4. Start lump coal in smoker. Vent to reduce temperature to 225⁰F. Heap coals on one side & place a pan of water beside them. 5. Put pork loin, still on a baking rack in a pan, on the opposite side of coals. Slowly drop a handful of soaked wood chips onto coals. Drop more chips every 30 to 90 minutes, as needed, to reduce the fire temperature. Smoke until internal temperature of pork loin reaches 150⁰F, or about 5 hours. 6. Remove pork loin and allow to cool. Refrigerate. Slice the next day. Sweet Beginnings Maple Sweet Beginnings Maple is a family-owned business that provides a full line of CDL maple equipment and supplies right here in the Hoosier state. Our services also include custom tubing installation. Tubing with vacuum system significantly increases sap production. Thinking about expanding your production? Sweet Beginnings Maple can assist in properly sizing a reverse osmosis machine to run your operation more efficiently. We are committed to providing superior service to our customers, whether you have 10 taps or 10,000 taps. Contact Silas Beachler for your equipment or tubing installation needs. Feel free to call at any time. No question is too big or too small. Sweet Beginnings Maple 9569 S 600 E Claypool, IN (260) For Sale! Wanted! Do you have maple equipment for sale? Are you in need of a particular piece of equipment? IMSA members can place a for sale or wanted ad in a future issue of The Tapline...for FREE! Simply send a description of the item and your contact information to the editor. Dealer Ads Dealers can place advertisements in The Tapline to promote their products and services. The cost is $25 per issue for ¼ page. Provide the editor with the ad copy as well as any pictures and logos you wish to be incorporated. Note from the Editor Any news, suggestions for future articles, or subscription changes should be sent to Eric Lee at eric.lee@privategarden.org or 32 Winding Way, Anderson, IN Eric can also be reached at (765) Pancakes fry on the griddle at Beachler s Sugar Bush. The Tapline is the quarterly newsletter for members of the Indiana Maple Syrup Association (IMSA), Eric Lee, editor (eric.lee@privategarden.org). The latest IMSA information, archives of issues, and much more is available at IMSA s website, indianamaplesyrup.org. Also, please like our two Facebook pages: facebook.com/indianamaplesyrupassociation and facebook.com/indianamapleweekend. 8