So here are the photos of the final straining and jarring up of the walnut syrup. Usually, we strain as the sap comes in the house before it goes to boil, but this time we were working with frozen chunks, so straining came after it was syrup.
It is more jelly like than maple syrup, but sweeter. Not so much walnut flavour as the boil smell hinted at (you know, making my house smell like German Chocolate Cake....), more of a plain sweet. This may be because it was very early sap (see the light colour). Early maple is like this too, the later sap is darker and more maple-y.
We got just shy of 1 quart. Not bad for 4 stock pots of sap, actually. This is just the beginning of sugar season, friends. The new cold snap and deep freeze means y'all have plenty of time to order supplies and get your own syrup made this year. So easy. So very worth it.
Three trees in your yard? That can provide 2 gallons of syrup and that's enough for my whole family for a year AND sugar my coffee every morning. That's a pretty amazing thing that even an urban homesteader can do.
Still need convincing? Ok. Here: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/sweets/5602/2
Does your coffee sweetener have iron, magnesium, calcium, and potassium and like 5+ more minerals that you might take a multivitamin to get? No?
Seriously. SERIOUSLY. GO TAP YOUR TREES.
Oh and this. Make this and dream of summer.
I had no idea you could make walnut syrup. I'll have to do some research but I might try this !!
ReplyDeleteMy brother just bought a house around the corner from me and when he was moving some stuff, a neighbor of his was tapping the maple tree in my brother's yard and promised him some. I am looking forward to trying it.
ReplyDeleteThinking this would need to be done in December for here in Texas if trying with black walnuts. What do you use to stop up the holes made after tapping the sap?
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