Maple Syrup Time: Eight Featured Sugar Shacks in Western MA

March 12, 2013 at 9:00 am (Contributing Writer, Franklin County, Hampden County, Hampshire County, Suggested Activity, Theresa Heary-Selah)
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Maple Syrup Season

The moment that we have been waiting for all winter is here: Maple Syrup Time!  The ground is thawing and the sap is running… maple sugaring is everywhere, giving great reason to get out with your family to learn about the maple sugaring process while enjoying the first harvest of the year!

Below, I have listed several sugar shacks where there is a restaurant and the sap run is a sweet and joyful event.  However, do not disregard the people around the corner or the trees in your own back yard! A directory of sugar shacks in Massachusetts is available at www.massmaple.org. Check to see if there is someone making syrup in your neighborhood that you do not know.  Call ahead to see if they are boiling and if you bring your kids to come watch the process.

Sugar Shacks with Breakfast

If you want a list with highlights, this is the list for you:

  1. Williams Farm Sugarhouse in Deerfield serves breakfast weekdays 8am-1pm, and weekends 8am-3pm, through April 13th. Their menu includes pancakes, Belgian waffles, and maple frosted donuts.
  2. North Hadley Sugar Shack is open weekdays 7am-1pm, and weekends from 7am-3pm. They are known for their great pancakes.
  3. South Face Sugar Shack in Ashfield is open 8:30am- 3pm, weekends only, through March 30th. They have homemade pancakes, waffles, corn fritters, maple milkshakes and many other special maple goodies.
  4. High Hopes Farm Sugar House in Worthington serves weekends from 7am- 2pm. They are the home of the exclusive “All You Can Eat” Sugar House Buffet.
  5. Red Bucket Sugar Shack in Worthington is open 8am-2pm on Saturdays and 8am-3pm on Sundays through mid-April. on weekends.  They have a lot of wonderful variations on the pancake, including carrot cake and zucchini bread pancakes.
  6. Gould’s Maple Sugarhouse in Shelburne is open on weekends.  Call to find out the particular hours. They have candy, cream, fudge and syrup in addition to a full breakfast.
  7. Pomeroy Sugar House & Restaurant in Westfield is open Fri-Sun 7:30am-1pm through the first of April. In addition to breakfast, there are farm animals to meet and pet.
  8. Hanging Mountain Farms & The Strawbale Cafe in Westhampton is open Fri- Sat 7am-1pm, and Sun. 8am-1pm. They have a full menu, including buttermilk, multigrain and gluten-free pancakes & french toast! Yum.

For a quick, complete, and unannotated list, with hours, dates and directions, check out the Mass Maple Sugar House with Restaurant directory.  And while there is a definite joy in celebrating the harvest with comrades and pancakes, have you considered tapping a tree or two yourself?  Here is a quick guide from the Massachusetts Maple Producers Association to get you started: Make Your Own Maple Syrup.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Theresa Heary-Selah — Theresa is a teacher and a freelance writer, making her home in Greenfield, MA and Wright, NY with her family.  She teaches at S.H.I.N.E. (Students at Home in New England), a social and academic support program for middle school students in the Pioneer Valley, and writes about home-schooling and technology.  Theresa’s interests include home-schooling, gardening, cooking, hiking, and dancing.

1 Comment

28th Annual Maple Fest on Chester Hill

March 12, 2013 at 6:00 am (Food, Hampden County, Hilltown Families, Suggested Activity)
Tags: , ,

28th Annual Maple Fest on Chester Hill

Chester is celebrating the beginning of spring with their annual Maple Festival. On Saturday, March 16th from 9am-3pm, families are invited to visit Chester Center to experience old time sugaring first hand and relive simpler times. Families can begin their day with a traditional Country Breakfast, served continuously from 9am ‘til noon at the First Congregational Church (>$).  After breakfast, visit local artisans and craftspeople, at the old schoolhouse across the road. Begin the afternoon listening to the sound of the Pioneer Valley Fiddlers, scheduled to play at the church at 12noon. All day long, wagons pulled by tractors or a team of draft horses will carry guests back and forth to High Meadows Sugarhouse to watch the production of maple syrup.

Leave a Comment

HFVS Sheep Shearing & Maple Syrup Episode (Radio Show/Podcast)

March 10, 2013 at 8:00 am (Entertainment, Family, Family Music, Hilltown Family Variety Show, Homeschooling, music)
Tags: , , , , , ,

Listen to Podcast:


SHEEP SHEARING & MAPLE SYRUP EPISODE

Sheep Shearing

Shearing the sheep and skirting the fleece at Red Gate Farm in Buckland, MA. Click on photo to see more images. (Photo credit: Sienna Wildfie

Saturday from 9-10am & Sunday from 7-8am
March 9th & 10th, 2013
WXOJ LP – 103.3 FM – Valley Free Radio
Northampton, MA

 Archived Podcasts ♦Radio ♦ Facebook ♦ Twitter

  • Lunch Money – “Wake Up, World” - Dizzy 
  • Pete Seeger – “Maple Syrup Time” – Seeds: The Songs of Pete Seeger
  • Kitty Donohoe  – “Maple Syrup” – Bunyan and Banjoes
  • Phil Rosenthal – “Buffalo Gals” – This Land is Your Land
  • Nashville Bluegrass Band & Kid Pan Alley – “Extra Hand” – Kid Pan Alley
  • Station Id: The Harmonica Pocket [www.harmonicapocket.com]
  • Carla Sciaky – “Sheep Shearing” – Spin the Weaver’s Song
  • Justin Roberts – “Field Trip” – Pop Fly
  • The Hipwaders – “Field Trip” – Goodie Bag 
  • Station Id: Steve Weeks [www.steveweeksmusic.com]
  • L. Frank Baum – The Story of Baa-Baa Black Sheep
  • Teresa Doyle – “The Shearing” – If Fish Could Sing … and Sheep Could Dance
  • Matt Nathanson – “Starfish and Coffee” – For the Kids Too
  • Moxy Fruvous – “Maple Syrup Time” – If I Had a Song: Songs of Pete Seeger Vol. 2
  • The Hipwaders – “Things You Want” – Goodie Bag 

2 Comments

Celebrate the State’s Sweetest Season this Weekend

March 6, 2013 at 12:00 pm (Berkshire County, Hampden County, Suggested Activity)
Tags: , , , ,

Celebrate MapleFest to Maple Harvest Day, from the Berkshires to the Pioneer Valley

Dennis Picard, Storrowton Village Museum director, demonstrates the art of open kettle evaporation to boil sap from a nearby maple tree into sugar during last year’s Maple Harvest Day.

It’s maple season in Western MA for certain!  Taps, buckets, and sap-carrying tubes have been put up in the woods all over the area, the weather is just right, and sap is running.  This weekend, celebrate the return of the state’s sweetest season at MapleFest, Hopkins State Forest’s annual celebration of the tradition of maple sugaring in Williamstown.  Taking place on Saturday, March 9th from 11am-2pm, the event offers families a chance to learn about the modern processes used to produce syrup, as well as a delicious opportunity to sample local syrup atop pancakes or poured over snow.

The forest is home to a working sugar shack, where families can duck into the small, steamy building to see the heated vat evaporating water out of the freshly collected sap.  Once you’ve learned conventional ways maple syrup is made, watch a demonstration of the syrup-making techniques of yesterday!  Families can learn about methods that date as far back as pre-Colonial times.  And, for those interested in lending a hand, helping out with the harvest is always welcome!  Haul a bucket or two, or schlep a crate of freshly sealed jugs – being part of the process is the best way to learn!

For a maple-related adventure down in the Pioneer Valley, look no further than West Springfield’s Storrowton Village!  The historic village, filled with buildings from all over New England, will host Maple Harvest Day on Sunday, March 10th from 11am-3pm.

Families visiting Storrowton will learn about maple sugaring in early New England, and can see museum workers in period costume participate in the 19th-century version of the tasks necessary to make maple syrup.

Inside the homes in the village there will be demonstrations of basic homesteading skills such as open hearth cooking, spinning and weaving, and more.  Enjoy a day in old New England, and learn about rural culture throughout American history!

Both events are free!  Hopkins State Forest is located at the corner of Blakely Street and Northwest Hill Road in Williamstown.  Storrowton Village is located at 1305 Memorial Drive in West Springfield, and can be reached at 413-205-5051.  Enjoy!

Leave a Comment

Maple Dessert to Follow a Spring Dinner

April 2, 2012 at 1:30 pm (Alice Cozzolino, Contributing Writer, Food, Recipes)
Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Maple Flan

We were given some fresh eggs by a friend with chickens. The variety of colors, shapes, and sizes invite inspiration. Hmm … we have some Taproot Commons Farm raw milk to use up. Amy’s going to be happy tonight! Whatever we have for dinner, we are going to end our meal with creamy, delicious Maple Flan. Everything is local except for the vanilla and the sugar for melting into caramel. I love maple syrup in custard instead of white sugar. Besides being local, it offers a rich flavor and creamy texture. The custard is slightly softer, but we prefer it that way. Give it a try and let me know what you think. Now, it’s out to the garden! We’ll be sowing tomato, basil, broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts, and kale seeds indoors after dark tonight, but now it’s time to soak up the glorious sun and warmth. Climate change is bringing us plenty of odd and disturbing weather, but the sun sure feels good. Enjoy!

♦  Print Recipe: Maple Flan [V/NF/GF/WF] 

Vegetarian (V) | Vegan (Vg) | Nut-Free (NF) | Gluten-Free (GF) | Wheat-Free (WF)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alice Cozzolino

Alice has been co-owner of The Old Creamery since 2000.  She and her partner and spouse, Amy, have lived in Cummington since they built their home in 1986.  Alice and Amy are very deeply connected to their land; they grow a lot of their own food, eat well (especially during the growing season), feed many friends and loved ones and preserve as much food as possible.  Rarely a day goes by that they don’t say “Aren’t we blessed to live here?” Feeding people feels like a calling to Alice.  She was brought up with her Italian Gram and her Dad putting something wonderful to eat in her mouth and saying “Here, eat this.”  Nothing brings her greater joy than feeding people that she cares about or people that are in need of kindness and nurturing.

[Photo credit: (ccl) matuko amini]

Leave a Comment

Maple Harvest Day 2012 in Hampden County

March 8, 2012 at 6:30 am (Hampden County, Suggested Activity, West Springfield)
Tags: , , , , ,

Maple Harvest Day at Storrowton Village
Sunday, March 11th, 2012

Maple Events in estern MA

Click on the banner to find out about maple events happening throughout Western MA.

Springtime in New England means maple syrup season!  As the days get longer and warmer, the sap starts flowing by the bucket.  Maple syrup and maple sugar production has been important within New England culture ever since the earliest days of the region, and Storrowton Village in West Springfield is offering families a chance to learn about the history of the practice!

On Sunday, March 11th from 11am-3pm, the village will be open for Maple Harvest Day, a time when visitors can learn about maple sugaring.  There will be demonstrations of every step of the process, including sap gathering, tree tapping, boiling sap into syrup- all in the style of 19th century New Englanders!

Breakfast in Western MA

Find out how you can enter to win an opportunity to take your family out for breakfast at a traditional sugar shack in Western MA, while enjoying locally produce coffee & tea!

Along with maple sugaring will be demonstrations of open hearth cooking, quilting, and wool spinning inside the village’s buildings.  There will be a pancake breakfast and maple-themed lunch that visitors can take part in for a fee- proceeds from both events benefit Storrowton’s educational programming.

Visiting the village for Maple Harvest Day guarantees a valuable learning experience.  Not only will kids be able to learn about where their delicious syrup, sugar, and candy comes from, but they’ll learn about the lives lead by and practices of the people who lived in the area before them.  For more information, visit www.thebige.com.

Leave a Comment

Breakfast Giveaway: Pancakes, Coffee & Tea in Western MA

March 5, 2012 at 3:00 pm (Contest)
Tags: , , , ,

Breakfast Giveaway in Western MA:
Sugar Shack Breakfast for Your Family Plus
Locally Produced Coffee & Tea Gift Boxes

Our region is rich in locally grown, produced and served food.  Enter to win a breakfast out for a family of four at South Face Farm Sugarhouse (Ashfield), along with locally produced coffee from Gay Coffee (Williamsburg) and tea from Tea Guys (Hatfield). Deadline to enter to win: March 19th by 7pm (EST).

Maple Sugar Season is upon us and many families make it an annual tradition to enjoy breakfast together at one of the rustic sugar shacks in the region.  It’s a great way to spend a morning together with the kids while enjoying the first harvest of the year and watching the sugaring process.  We asked our readers to share their favorite sugar shack in Western MA and recommendations ranged from Gould’s in Shelburne, Red Bucket in Worthington, Steve’s Sugar Shack in Westhampton, to South Face Farm in Ashfield… but one thing was quiet clear… families LOVE their local sugar shacks!

To celebrate this short and sweet breakfast tradition of coming together with your community to dine at these seasonal houses of sweetness, Hilltown Families has partnered with three local businesses to offer one lucky family the chance to win a breakfast for four at South Face Farm Sugarhouse in Ashfield, plus a coffee gift box from Gay Coffee in Williamsburg, and a tea gift box from Tea Guys in Hatfield (all three!).

According to the Massachusetts Maple Producers Association, “Sugaring is one of the few tourist destination events to occur during mud season in March and April. 60,000 visitors spend in excess of one million dollars during sugaring season. Farms, restaurants, Bed and Breakfasts, country inns, and other tourist businesses share this income, which flows mostly into small towns and farm communities.”

To enter to win our Breakfast Giveaway, we’re looking for community feedback on how the harvest of maple syrup gets your family outdoors, participating in the harvest with your community to share in a collection stories and recipes we are putting together for a new project we’re working on called Seasons at Our Table.  In addition to dining out at a sugar shack, maybe your family gathers maple sap and boils it down, or you like to attend the maple festivals and educational opportunities in the area… Or maybe you have a new tradition you’re looking forward to participating in with your family and/or community.  Details on how to enter to win are below, and deadline to enter is Monday, March 19th by 7pm (EST).

Here’s what you can enter to win:

South Face Farm Sugarhouse (Ashfield, MA)

South Face Farm Sugarhouse is located in Ashfield, MA, a small rural and farming community in the Berkshire foothills.  Their traditional old New England sugarhouse and restaurant is open this year on Saturdays and Sundays from March 3rd to April 7th, and closed Easter Sunday.  Families can watch pure maple syrup being made and then just a few steps away, taste the results on a plate of steaming hot blueberry pancakes. They offer a varied menu of traditional New England sugarhouse food, using the best ingredients from local farms and sources. Their French toast is made from locally baked real French bread, or cinnamon bread. All batters are made from scratch each day using the finest ingredients. To see the sugarhouse menu click here to view or print. Seasonal updates are posted on the South Face Farm Facebook page and more info can be found at www.southfacefarm.com.

GIVEAWAY: South Face Farm is offering Hilltown Families readers a chance to win breakfast for a family of four at their restaurant and sugarhouse for this season.  Don’t miss the chance to experience a taste of the maple sugaring season while dinning with your family in a quintessential New England tradition. (Value: Whatever your family orders, they’ve got you covered!)

Gay Coffee (Williamsburg, MA)

Gay Coffee is based in Williamsburg, MA.   Each batch of hand roasted coffee is fairly traded and organically sourced, respecting their coffee growing partners, and the planet’s health.   At the intersection of a historic moment in gay civil rights, and over the morning ritual of sharing a cup of exquisite coffee, Gay Coffee was conceived as the perfect integration of these two powerful themes with 1% of all profits donated to the National Gay Lesbian Task Force.  Find out more about Gay Coffee at www.gaycoffee.com

GIVEAWAY: Gay Coffee gift box includes a 10 oz gift tin of Second Date, a deep and very full bodied brew that combines African and Central American beans;  A 10 oz bag of Stone Butch Breakfast Blend: A classic blend of medium roasted beans from the highlands of Guatemala; and a set of “Wake Up and Taste the Gay!” mugs. (Value: $56)

Tea Guys (Hatfield, MA)

Tea Guys in Hatfield, MA is a local family-owned business specializing in artisan whole leaf loose tea blends. Their culinary-inspired tea creations are blended in small batches daily and made with the finest loose tea from around the world, freshly hand-milled spices, vanilla bean, dried fruits, nuts and artisan ingredients to create unique and colorful blends that stimulate the eyes, nose, and palate – and truly taste like no other tea. www.teaguys.com

GIVEAWAY: This Tea Guys gift box includes a selection of three tins of our unique blends: Tropical Green tea, Strawberry Kiwi fruit tisane, and Coconut Truffle black tea, along with a brewing basket for brewing the perfect cup of tea. (Value: $35)

HOW TO WIN

Your chance to win a family breakfast for four at South Face Farm Sugarhouse in Ashfield this season, plus a gift box of coffee from Gay Coffee in Williamsburg, and a gift box of tea from Tea Guys in Hatfield is as easy as 1-2-3 (4)!  To win simply:

  • CONSIDER SHARING THIS POST ON FACEBOOK by selecting the Facebook icon below,
  • TELL US HOW MAPLE SUGAR SEASON GETS YOUR FAMILY OUTDOORS AND PARTICIPATING IN THE HARVEST WITH YOUR COMMUNITY below (one entry per household) and be sure to tell us your
  • FULL NAME (first/last) and where you
  • LIVE (TOWN/STATE) must include your town to be eligible.
  • ACCURATE EMAIL (we never share your email address).
  • From our favorite entries (so make them good!) we’ll randomly draw a winner and will share the results below.

IT’S THAT SIMPLE! — Deadline is Monday, March 19th by 7pm (EST).

26 Comments

Maple Sugar Season Events for 2012

March 2, 2012 at 4:00 pm (Suggested Activity)
Tags: , , , ,

Maple Sugar Season 2012

Maple syrup is the first harvest of the year, and this year it’s arrived a couple of weeks early. Trees being tapped, sap is being boiled and sugar shacks are serving up their sweet harvest.  Read our post, Q&A: Where’s Your Favorite Sugar Shack in Western MA? to discover a sugar shack nearest you, and take the family to check out these events below happening in March:  Read the rest of this entry »

Leave a Comment

Q&A: Where’s Your Favorite Sugar Shack in Western MA?

February 23, 2011 at 2:00 pm (Question and Answer)
Tags: , , , ,

Question and Answer

Collecting sap in Cummington, MA. (Photo credit: Sienna Wildfield)

Sugar season is fast approaching! Where’s your favorite sugar bush or sugar shack to take the family during Maple sugar season?

  • Anita Morehouse recommends: “Growing up we always went to Gould’s in Shelburne… or was it Charlemont?”
  • Jenny Giering recommends: High Hopes Farm in South Worthington on Rt. 112! Open every Saturday & Sunday from 2/26 to Easter 7 AM – 2 PM. Awesome breakfast & great syrup!”
  • Maryellen Smith Rousseau recommends: “Love both South Face Farm in Ashfield and Steve’s Sugar Shack in Westhampton.”
  • Tish Serrani recommends: “Straw Bale Cafe at Hanging Mountain Farm in Westhampton. Try the eggbake, it’s yummy.”
  • Jill Robinson recommends: “On opening day, this Saturday Feb. 26, Steve’s Sugar Shack (Westhampton) will be donating a portion of that day’s profits to Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity. Check it out! You can find out more on Habitat’s Facebook page.”
  • Leslie A. Keller recommends: “So far…. Red Bucket… they have the best carrot-cake pancakes ever!!”
  • Karen Lucas recommends: “Love the Red Bucket! Can’t wait til this weekend when they are open!!!”
  • Sienna Wildfield recommends: “We too love going to Red Bucket Sugar Shack in Worthington.  They serve a nice breakfast and it’s so much fun to watch them boil down the sap while waiting for a table!”
  • Patty Pike Greene recommends: “I very much miss Gray’s Sugarhouse in Ashfield… but close second is Southface Sugarhouse in Ashfield!!! Can’t wait!”
  • Shoshona King recommends: “I love the North Hadley Sugar Shack. Maple milk shakes in the summer, harvest veggies in the fall, Christmas trees & onions in the winter, and of course maple sugar as a 1st sign that spring is coming.”
  • Stephanie Gale recommends: “I like Davenport in Shelburne! But now that we moved to Easthampton, we found that we love North Hadley Sugar Shack.”
  • Shannon Soones Golden recommends: “North Hadley!”
  • Patricia Loomis recommends: “Red Bucket!”
  • Amy Meehan Higgins recommends: “I love all of them…but have a weakness for corn fritters and a beautiful drive…so South Face it is!”
  • Rebecca Dejnak recommends: “Williams Farm in Deerfield.”
  • See more recommendations.
  • Post a recommendation.

SUGAR SHACKING

Massachsetts map of sugarhouse distribution

There are many area sugar shacks to bring your family to during sugar season that serve breakfast with the fresh maple syrup. Be sure to call ahead for schedules.

16 Comments

It’s Maple Syrup Time!

February 26, 2010 at 8:00 am (Food, Suggested Activity)
Tags: , , ,

March is Maple Syrup Time in Western MA

Sugaring at South Face Farm in Ashfield, MA.

Massachusetts’s maple forests have endured the winter months and are ready to produce sweet and flavorful maple syrup.  Maple events, sugarhouse visits and farm fresh maple delights from restaurants, markets, bed and breakfasts and local farms, offer great seasonal outings for families all over Western Mass.“Sugarmakers around Massachusetts are looking forward to the season. We’re all proud to be continuing a craft that has been part of Massachusetts for hundreds of years. We encourage people to visit their local sugarhouses to see how it’s done and taste the best maple syrup made,” said hilltown resident Winton Pitcoff, Coordinator at the Massachusetts Maple Producers Association.

Maple syrup lovers should visit www.massvacation.com and www.massmaple.org for a sugarhouse directory, map of sugarhouse locations, recipes, nutrition information and much more to plan and explore your culinary maple syrup experience.

 

 

Sugar Shacks in Western MA:

Gould’s Maple Sugarhouse (Shelburne, MA)
Six generations of producing pure maple syrup.  Opens for breakfast on March 1st. (413) 625-6170 www.goulds-sugarhouse.com

High Hopes Farm Sugar House (South Worthington, MA)
High Hopes Farm taps as many as 4,000 trees with more than 20 miles of sap lines strung from tree to tree, bringing the sweet sap by gravity to the sugar house. Purchase maple products and dine in the maple inspired restaurant. Rustic dining Sugar House Buffet offered February thru mid April from 7am-2pm.  (413) 238-5919 www.highhopesmaple.com

Hanging Mountain Farms (Westhampton, MA)
You will find us making our pure maple syrup, in one of the oldest sugar houses in the Pioneer Valley. You will be able to enjoy a tour and see how this sweet product is made. During the month of March, which is our busiest sugaring season, our cafe transforms itself into your neighborhood sugarhouse restaurant. (413) 527-3210
www.hangingmountainfarms.com

North Hadley Sugar Shack at Boisvert Farm (Hadley, MA)
Located in Massachusetts’ scenic, historic Pioneer Valley, the North Hadley Sugar Shack allows visitors to purchase maple sugar products, dine at it’s famous pancake breakfast and participate in sugaring tours. Open February 17th thru April 18th,  Wed-Sun from 7am-3pm. (413) 585-8820www.northhadleysugarshack.com

Pomeroy Sugar House (Westfield, MA)
Guests can enjoy breakfast, smell the sweet aroma of maple, have an opportunity to speak with the proprietor about the syrup making process, and see the cows and calves of the working dairy farm. With the recent addition of the Pomeroy Bed and Breakfast, visitors can stay at the Inn, tour the dairy farm, and enjoy a delicious breakfast while learning the process for making Maple Syrup.  Open for breakfast on Fri-Sun, 7:30am-1pm from February 12th thru April 11th.  (413) 568-3484 www.pomeroysugarhouse.com

South Face Farm (Ashfield, MA)
This farmland has been producing maple syrup for over 150 years. The present sugarhouse, built in 1952, and offers visitors to dine at the sugarhouse restaurant serving homemade pancakes, waffles, corn fritters and many other special maple goodies. Try a stack of French Toast made with fresh homemade bread, topped with just-made maple syrup. (413) 628-3268  www.southfacefarm.com

Ioka Valley Farm Sugar House (Hancock, MA)
Watch the fascinating process of turning Fresh Maple Sap into Pure Maple Syrup! Come, talk to a real sugar maker. Ask your maple questions during the maple sugaring season. Ioka Valley Farm has more than 4000 taps and two modern boilers housed in the sugar house, built especially for production of the sweet treat.  Sugar House Breakfast served mid-Feb thru early April with sugar house tours on the weekends. (413) 738-5915  www.iokavalleyfarm.com

Read the rest of this entry »

3 Comments

Maple Syrup: Lessons in Math, Biology & History

March 13, 2009 at 5:00 am (Ecology, Education, Family, Food, History, Homeschooling, Outdoor Activities, Resources, Science, Suggested Activity)
Tags: ,

Ratios as a Sweet Treat!
By CISA

Maple syrup sign in Worthington, MA. (Photo credit: Sienna Wildfield)

As one of his first orders of business, CISA’s new Executive Director, Phil Korman, has offered to share a maple syrup-based math lesson that he developed for use in his son’s 4th grade classroom. He’s been doing a variation on this lesson with his son’s class for several years, so it can be adjusted to fit most young age groups.

First he introduces the students to the lesson by talking a little bit about the history of maple syrup and how sap is harvested and turned into syrup. This is a great opportunity to teach your students about early American history, and also to explore the biology of maple trees. Visit the Massachusetts Maple Producers Association website for exhaustive resources on all things maple. Once the students are introduced to the wide world of maple trees, sap, and syrup, Phil leads them through the following math lesson, which includes a syrup tasting as a special treat.

Phil’s lesson on Maple Syrup Math and the ratio of 40 to 1 Facts: It takes 40 pints of tree sap from a sugar maple tree to make one pint of maple syrup. It takes 40 gallons of tree sap to make 1 gallon of maple syrup. Using that information, answer the following questions:  Read the rest of this entry »

Leave a Comment

Maple Sugar Moon & Sugar Shacking

March 12, 2009 at 5:00 am (Books, Dalton, Food, Moon Lore Series, Reading Lists)
Tags: , ,

Thirteen Moons on Turtle’s Back:
A Native American Year of Moons

By J. Bruchac & J. London
Illustrated by Thomas Locker

“In many Native American cultures each of the thirteen moons of the year is said to hold its own story, and each is powered by the turtle who is believed to contain the mystery of the moon in the shell of its back.”

Legend has it that North America is the back of a turtle and it’s eye is here in New England. If you take a close look at the shell of a turtle you can count out thirteen different plates on its carapace. And every year has thirteen moon cycles that complete the year.

According to Anishinabe legend, this month’s full moon, the 3rd moon, is called the Maple Sugar Moon, the only time of the year sap flows from the maple trees. In the hilltowns of Western Mass it’s the month steam pours out of our area sugar shacks and fresh maple sap is boiled down to make maple syrup. Many sugar shacks invite families to their annual pancake breakfasts during these weeks to enjoy fresh maple syrup and share in the process of making syrup.

There will be a maple sugaring showcase presented by Storrowton Village Museum in West Springfield, MA this weekend. Click here for details.
Read the rest of this entry »

3 Comments

HFVS Sheep Shearing & Maple Syrup Episode (Radio Show/Podcast)

February 28, 2009 at 8:00 am (Entertainment, Family, Family Music, Hilltown Family Variety Show, Homeschooling, music)
Tags: ,

Listen to Podcast:


SHEEP SHEARING & MAPLE SYRUP EPISODE

Sheep Shearing
Shearing the sheep and skirting the fleece at Red Gate Farm in Buckland, MA. Click on photo to see more images. (Photo credit: Sienna Wildfie

Saturday from 9-10am & Sunday from 7-8am
Feb. 28th, 2009
WXOJ LP – 103.3 FM – Valley Free Radio
Northampton, MA

New Podcasts ♦ Archived Podcasts ♦ Subscribe to Podcast
Radio ♦ Facebook ♦ Twitter

  • Lunch Money – “Wake Up, World” - Dizzy Music
  • Pete Seeger – “Maple Syrup Time” – Seeds: The Songs of Pete Seeger
  • Kitty Donohoe  – “Maple Syrup” – Bunyan and Banjoes
  • Phil Rosenthal – “Buffalo Gals” – This Land is Your Land
  • Nashville Bluegrass Band & Kid Pan Alley – “Extra Hand” – Kid Pan Alley
  • Station Id: The Harmonica Pocket [www.harmonicapocket.com]
  • Carla Sciaky – “Sheep Shearing” – Spin the Weaver’s Song
  • Justin Roberts – “Field Trip” – Pop Fly
  • The Hipwaders – “Field Trip” – Goodie Bag Music
  • Station Id: Steve Weeks [www.steveweeksmusic.com]
  • L. Frank Baum – The Story of Baa-Baa Black Sheep
  • Teresa Doyle – “The Shearing” – If Fish Could Sing … and Sheep Could Dance
  • Matt Nathanson – “Starfish and Coffee” – For the Kids Too
  • Moxy Fruvous – “Maple Syrup Time” – If I Had a Song: Songs of Pete Seeger Vol. 2
  • The Hipwaders – “Things You Want” – Goodie Bag Music

Leave a Comment

Suggested Events 02/28/09-03/06/09

February 26, 2009 at 10:00 pm (Entertainment, Family, Hilltown Families, music, Suggested Events)
Tags: , ,

Winter Playground: Metal Slide

Playground at the Northampton YMCA. (Photo credit: Sienna Wildfield)

SUGGEST AN EVENT

If you have a family-friendly event or educational program happening in Western Massachusetts that you’d like to let us know about, post your event on our “Suggest An Event” page.

FEATURED EVENT

CFC Family Contra Dance: This Saturday evening from 6:30-8:30pm the Cummington Family Center will host their 2nd Annual Family Contra Dance at the Cummington Community House on Main Street in Cummington, MA.  Steve Howland and his band will be calling and playing.  Bring a dessert for the dessert potluck.  Coffee, tea & water will be provided.  All are welcomed.  Tickets are $7.  Kids under 16 are free.

HILLTOWN FAMILY VARIETY SHOW

Newly release music

Tune in to the Hilltown Family Variety Show on Saturdays from 9-10am on Valley Free Radio (VFR), 103.3FM (Northampton, MA), or listen via streaming audio at www.ValleyFreeRadio.org. Every Saturday VFR offers four hours of commercial-free, quality family program from 6-10am.  It’s better than Saturday morning cartoons!

We’re excited to share with our listeners some new fun music, including songs from  Lunch Money’s newest CD Dizzy, and Goodie Bag just released by The Hipwaders.  Great family albums!

Suggest an Event | Local Forecast | Get Directions | Free Museum Passes | School Closings and Delays | Family Centers (Ages 0-4) | Facebook

Events Happening in the Hilltowns

Saturday – 02/28

Read the rest of this entry »

Leave a Comment

The Art of Maple Sugaring

March 8, 2008 at 1:30 pm (Ecology, Food, Hilltown Families, Local Food)
Tags: , , ,

Tapping into Maple Season
By CISA

Red Bucket Sugar Shack in Worthington, MA

Red Bucket Sugar Shack in Worthington, MA (Photo credit: Sienna Wildfield)

As winter slowly warms into spring, the maple trees of New England will begin their magic. Maple sugaring has been a highly respected art form for generations. The first recorded description of the sugaring process came in 1606 as part of a narrative about the Micmac people of eastern Canada. In 1663, English chemist Robert Boyle told associates in Europe, “There is in some parts of New England a kind of tree whose juice that weeps out its incision, if it is permitted slowly to exhale away the superfluous moisture, doth congeal into a sweet and saccharin substance, and the like was confirmed to me by the agent of the great and populace colony of Massachusetts.” Massachusetts is now the sixth highest state producer of maple syrup, generating about 50,000 gallons annually-worth over two million dollars!

Stoking the fire at Red Bucket Sugar Shack in Worthington, MA (Photo credit: Sienna Wildfield)

Maple syrup production is dictated almost entirely by the weather. Alternating warm days and freezing nights are ideal conditions for sugaring. This winter the ground didn’t freeze thoroughly, which means that the sugar run may be short this year. A shorter season could result in lower production-equating to higher costs for consumers-but it may still be too early to tell. “The price of maple syrup is high due to the poor season last year along with the strength of the Canadian dollar,” says Local Hero farmer Joe Raskett of Hardwick Sugar Shack. “The production of maple syrup is determined on a yearly basis, so forecasting future prices or production is often difficult and unreliable.”

As this year’s maple season kicks off, you won’t have to travel far to enjoy the delights of local sugarmakers’ labors: syrup, candy, sugar, and cream. In fact, many of those same farms offer seasonal pancake houses, the majority of which open in late February. There is no better way to warm up to the spring season than with a plate of hot cakes covered in fresh maple syrup. Or, for serious maple enthusiasts, take a tour of the sugarmaking facilities and learn how the magic happens. We strongly recommend all of the Local Hero member pancake houses, including:

Kids watch the sugaring process at Red Bucket Sugar Shack in Worthington, MA (Photo credit: Sienna Wildfield)

Gould’s Maple Farm – Shelburne

Hanging Mountain Farm- Westhampton

North Hadley Sugar Shack- Hadley

Maple Corner Farm- Granville

Williams Farm- Deerfield

For a complete listing of Local Hero maple sugarmakers and suppliers, please visit our online Farm Products Guide.

Leave a Comment

Yankee Weather in the Hilltowns

November 22, 2007 at 8:00 pm (Ashfield, Local Food, Notes from Nan)
Tags: , , ,

Notes from Nan: Happy Thanksgiving!
BY HF Contributing Writer, Nan Parati

For those of you who snickered at me putting up my storm windows yesterday in the snow, well for you I have 11—no, 12 words:

How was I supposed to know it was going to get cold?

Remember Fall Festival just a little over a month ago when it was 80 degrees and we were sitting on the steps of Town Hall in t-shirts eating fried dough? Remember last winter when it never snowed until February? Wouldn’t some fried dough with maple cream be good right about now?

Damn Yankee weather! In the south, it’s hot and you know it’s hot and it’s going to be hot even if you wish it were cold. Here, who knows?

But my storm windows are up, and boy, am I warmer! So nice, these storm windows! You know, I was thinking one day that storm windows in New Orleans are the huge sheets of plywood you put up when a hurricane is coming in order to keep flying lawn ornaments from taking your windows out. Given a choice, the ones here are much more useful in a varied-use sort of way.

You know what my favorite winter sport would be? Having it snow so deep that I would have to open the window to climb out. (I have two of those new-fangled windows that don’t need storms over them, so I could do that.) I think that would be so much fun! Don’t you?

FRIDAY’S DINNER MENU AT ELMER’S (11/23/07)

So it’s Thanksgiving! And for our Friday night dinner we are going to have the opposite of turkey dinner: Read the rest of this entry »

1 Comment

%d bloggers like this: