down to my last two....

[bamorin]

frozen snickers bars left over from Halloween...........damn..........

[Deleted]

You seem a bit grumpy. You just need a Snickers.

[Deleted]

I just ate a Frozen Snickers™

and you did not.

[Deleted]

I ate two Snickers bars today.  It's the most Snickers I ever ate in one day.

They were just sitting in the living room in a decorative basket when I got home from work, late, and I saw no evidence of dinner.  (My wife was driving my daughter to the airport, or something.)

Gulp.

[daleko]

Nov 6, 2017 14:32:45 GMT -5 bamorin said:

frozen snickers bars left over from Halloween...........damn..........

Well I finally broke down, ordered and received, some Vermont Maple Syrup, at your suggestion, from a small, I guess, farm. A qt of ea of dark robust, amber rich & golden delicate. Xmas for son # 2 who is in love w the stuff he gets at restaurants. This is sooooo much better. The taste lingers for many minutes. WOW. Gonna make me some pecan pie w the dark stuff formerly know as B. After I order some more.

[bamorin]

Nov 9, 2017 17:54:59 GMT -5 daleko said:

Nov 6, 2017 14:32:45 GMT -5 bamorin said:

frozen snickers bars left over from Halloween...........damn..........

Well I finally broke down, ordered and received, some Vermont Maple Syrup, at your suggestion, from a small, I guess, farm. A qt of ea of dark robust, amber rich & golden delicate. Xmas for son # 2 who is in love w the stuff he gets at restaurants. This is sooooo much better. The taste lingers for many minutes. WOW. Gonna make me some pecan pie w the dark stuff formerly know as B. After I order some more.

I Have no idea why they changed the grading process A, B, C..........what was so hard about that? I bring my own syrup to our kids programs. folks wait on me to see which table I will be sitting at so they can mooch for their pancakes. then I talked them into a touch on their bacon.......
Here's something else to try, use some on the bacon as it's grilling, add a little garlic powder, and ground dill...........

[Walter]

I am confused. I thought the grade was about how it was meant to be used and not the particular quality of the syrup.
Is that not correct?
Sort of like a grade of sweet onion. It has its uses, but isn't to be used inappropriately over a generic brown onion in specific instances.
Where is Robb on this issue?

[AlaCowboy]

Nov 9, 2017 23:07:39 GMT -5 Walter said:

I am confused. I thought the grade was about how it was meant to be used and not the particular quality of the syrup.
Is that not correct?
Sort of like a grade of sweet onion. It has its uses, but isn't to be used inappropriately over a generic brown onion in specific instances.
Where is Robb on this issue?

Not Robb, but I consulted my resident New England maple syrup expert and she educated me a bit.
Syrup grades are meant to distinguish the time of harvest and processing.
Grade A Fancy is the first syrup tapped in mid- to late February. Light in color and very delicate in taste. Pancake or waffle syrup.
Grade A Medium Amber or Dark Amber are later in season and used for baking or hot tea. Stronger flavor.
Grade B is even darker and stronger flavor, like brown sugar, and used to glaze meat for grilling or baking. Hams and roasts, BBQ sauce.
Grade C was the last syrup tapped and very strong and dark. Best for maple candy. Most of Grade C is used for maple candy and sold to candy makers. Almost dark and strong as molasses
It was never meant to denote quality. which is likely why it is all now Grade A, with designations to denote color.
The gathering season is usually rather short, 6-8 weeks, from when daytime temps rise above freezing but drop below freezing at dark. Late February to early April. 40 gallons of sap to produce 1 gallon of syrup.
Making the syrup is apparently simply putting the sap into large pans and boiling it until water content is reduced from 98% to 33%. the balance in maple sugar. It is then filtered and bottled.
As an aside, there is a processor here that makes sorghum syrup. Third generation and still using the same mill to press the juice out of the cane. He packages it in pint or quart jars, but his grandpa used metal cans with lids like on a paint can. Gramps also had a small printing press to make his labels and he tied them on the can with burlap string. His label simply read "Sand Mountain Sorgum Surp" and it was heaven on a biscuit. Still is.

[bamorin]

Nov 10, 2017 10:43:26 GMT -5 AlaCowboy said:

Nov 9, 2017 23:07:39 GMT -5 Walter said:

I am confused. I thought the grade was about how it was meant to be used and not the particular quality of the syrup.
Is that not correct?
Sort of like a grade of sweet onion. It has its uses, but isn't to be used inappropriately over a generic brown onion in specific instances.
Where is Robb on this issue?

Not Robb, but I consulted my resident New England maple syrup expert and she educated me a bit.
Syrup grades are meant to distinguish the time of harvest and processing.
Grade A Fancy is the first syrup tapped in mid- to late February. Light in color and very delicate in taste. Pancake or waffle syrup. Also low in natural sugar content
Grade A Medium Amber or Dark Amber are later in season and used for baking or hot tea. Stronger flavor. Higher in sugar content, the darker brown comes from the sugar "carbonizing" during the boiling process,
Grade B is even darker and stronger flavor, like brown sugar, and used to glaze meat for grilling or baking. Hams and roasts, BBQ sauce. Also occurs because the sap isn't stirred well enough, and further "carbonizes" due to the higher heat at the bottom
Grade C was the last syrup tapped and very strong and dark. Best for maple candy. Most of Grade C is used for maple candy and sold to candy makers. Almost dark and strong as molasses. See above
It was never meant to denote quality. which is likely why it is all now Grade A, with designations to denote color.
The gathering season is usually rather short, 6-8 weeks, from when daytime temps rise above freezing but drop below freezing at dark. Late February to early April. 40 gallons of sap to produce 1 gallon of syrup.
Making the syrup is apparently simply putting the sap into large pans and boiling it until water content is reduced from 98% to 33%. the balance in maple sugar. It is then filtered and bottled. 50 gal of sap to make 1 gallon of light to light amber. 100 gal of sap to make 1 gal robust (grade b and c) dark.
As an aside, there is a processor here that makes sorghum syrup. Third generation and still using the same mill to press the juice out of the cane. He packages it in pint or quart jars, but his grandpa used metal cans with lids like on a paint can. Gramps also had a small printing press to make his labels and he tied them on the can with burlap string. His label simply read "Sand Mountain Sorgum Surp" and it was heaven on a biscuit. Still is.

[bamorin]

Nov 9, 2017 23:07:39 GMT -5 Walter said:

I am confused. I thought the grade was about how it was meant to be used and not the particular quality of the syrup.
Is that not correct?
Sort of like a grade of sweet onion. It has its uses, but isn't to be used inappropriately over a generic brown onion in specific instances.
Where is Robb on this issue?

correct, how it's supposed to be used.......at least that's what we tell the tourists....and the (A)light amber is what we pawn off to them.......and tell 'em it's best for pancakes....the profit margin on the light is very high, and we can then absorb the extra expense of making the grade B dark for ourselves.

[bgovolfan]

Nov 11, 2017 10:06:43 GMT -5 bamorin said:

Nov 9, 2017 23:07:39 GMT -5 Walter said:

I am confused. I thought the grade was about how it was meant to be used and not the particular quality of the syrup.
Is that not correct?
Sort of like a grade of sweet onion. It has its uses, but isn't to be used inappropriately over a generic brown onion in specific instances.
Where is Robb on this issue?

correct, how it's supposed to be used.......at least that's what we tell the tourists....and the (A)light amber is what we pawn off to them.......and tell 'em it's best for pancakes....the profit margin on the light is very high, and we can then absorb the extra expense of making the grade B dark for ourselves.

And sometimes for your friends<g>

Bg(BTW, have I ever told you that I consider us to be friends..lol)VolFan

[bamorin]

Nov 19, 2017 13:43:56 GMT -5 bgovolfan said:

Nov 11, 2017 10:06:43 GMT -5 bamorin said:

correct, how it's supposed to be used.......at least that's what we tell the tourists....and the (A)light amber is what we pawn off to them.......and tell 'em it's best for pancakes....the profit margin on the light is very high, and we can then absorb the extra expense of making the grade B dark for ourselves.

And sometimes for your friends<g>

Bg(BTW, have I ever told you that I consider us to be friends..lol)VolFan

yeah

have I ever told ya my cousins make it also..........but the miserable bastards are always "out" when i'm up there......fukcers treat me like i'm a tourist or sumpthin.

[Deleted]

Nov 19, 2017 16:44:04 GMT -5 bamorin said:

Nov 19, 2017 13:43:56 GMT -5 bgovolfan said:

And sometimes for your friends<g>

Bg(BTW, have I ever told you that I consider us to be friends..lol)VolFan

yeah

have I ever told ya my cousins make it also..........but the miserable bastards are always "out" when i'm up there......fukcers treat me like i'm a tourist or sumpthin.

They are MI fans.

[bamorin]

Nov 19, 2017 23:57:56 GMT -5 @kelliers said:

Nov 19, 2017 16:44:04 GMT -5 bamorin said:

yeah

have I ever told ya my cousins make it also..........but the miserable bastards are always "out" when i'm up there......fukcers treat me like i'm a tourist or sumpthin.

They are MI fans.

football is a third world sport in Vermont, I'm not sure they even know about Michigan. Just more of the flat lands out west of 'em

[oldgraylady4]

This is a cool thread. When I was a little girl, my mother bought a brand of maple syrup called "Vermont Maid." On the label was a rosy-cheeked blonde girl.
I wonder if its still around nowadays.