Nice… Just have to keep telling the out-of-towners, “No, ‘On Golden Pond’ was filmed at the other lake, Squam!”
I love New England. Can you tell? 
sing
1 Like
Haha, yep! That and “no, we aren’t on the big lake”
I do love New England, but my cold tolerance disappeared once I got into my 30s. I doubt I’ll ever move out of Florida now but I do go visit up north frequently (in the summer!)
your run is starting early! We won’t be starting for a month or so as the temps aren’t yet right.
Do you have a sugar house to save kitchen paint?
I set up in the garage with the overhead door open. The steam just rolls out.
shouldn’t need refrigeration if not open. If you open it and store it at room temp ( and it happens) skim off the mold and reboil it and boil the container too. Its not going to kill you.
We have in my area many sugarhouses selling all the grades of maple syrup… There are five. Four for home cooks…Our sugarhouses color code the tops so you know what you are getting
Kayakmedic. I opened it and it sat for a few months. I poured it out and it looked like a decomposed possum. I ate it anyway after reading it wouldn’t kill me. It had a tainted flavor. Didn’t think about being it. Not sure if it would have restored the flavor. Probably not. It didn’t crystallize. Still fluid.
Warm spell right now. The Dutch ovens will out Friday night in the backyard campsite. Then some quality time with my girl in the wall tent with the wood stove going and 3 dogs.
2 Likes
That’s the one nice thing about winter.
Another chilly winter day that only got to 60.
My good friend came by. We had a great breakfast then went to the indoor range. We parked and the rising sun was focused on my truck. We sat there and caught up for over an hour. Never popped a cap. Had no desire to go into a dark building and put on ear and eye protection.
Curious…traditional canvas, or one of the newer light “hot tents?”
sing
White canvas wall tent from 1980. It has been all over the West.,
Very nice. Some of the canvas tents can afford a relatively “luxurious” accomodation in the outback. 
sing
Someone did something wrong, used dirty bottles, problem with bottling, something like that, because maple syrup lasts many years in the sealed bottle, no refrigeration needed. You might get a bit of mould at the top, but as it has been mentioned, just remove the mould and you are good to go. Normally, I find the worst thing that happens to maple syrup that is several years old is that you might get sugar crystals form after a bottle has been open, which are easy to get rid of by popping the bottle in the microwave for a short period of time.
And the dark syrup is so much better than the light, amber stuff you will find commercially, and it should be thick, not thin like water, at least that’s my preference.
Thanks mowog73. Consistent with other comments, and good to know. Next time I’ll refrigerate put of caution, just in case!
For me it has been hiking - 7 hikes and only 2 paddles since the first of the year. Hopefully the paddling will pick up in the spring.
Growing up here in NH, my parents still only bought the fake syrup. As an adult, I have only ever bought the real stuff. Local grocery stores have it on their shelves, with most of it being made either here in NH or next door in Vermont. I like to support the local syrup makers when I can though.
For keeping myself busy for the winter, I picked up a second job. It’s only part time, but the money is decent and it’s going towards a drysuit so I can start my paddling season earlier than I otherwise would be able.
1 Like
It has been a sweet maple syrup season so far. I may get a bit more before I call it quits but that will depend on the weather.
4 Likes
Nice! Nothing like the real stuff!
1 Like
I bought some real maple syrup labeled Vermont Maple …in fine print it said"made in Canada" .