Hobby/Business Planned to Educate Families Sunday

 

by Jonathan Weaver

Leaders are continuing an annual-late winter tradition at the Crooked Creek Environmental Learning Center this weekend.

At 2PM Sunday at the Bethel Township location, residents are invited to listen and watch as Indiana father/son natives Alan and Andy Kinter turn raw sap into maple syrup.

Andy estimated the pair have presented at the Crooked Creek Environmental Learning Center at least a half-dozen years.

The men used to perform an event in Blue Spruce Park in Indiana County before deciding to host the demonstration. This year, that will be March 7-8.

“We’ve had as many as 80-90 people at Crooked Creek and usually at our open house at the farm we’ll have 100-150 each day,” Andy said. “People are curious to see how it’s done – a lot of times they’ll think it looks fun and try it and find out how much hard work it is.”

On average, it takes about 60 gallons of sap to make one gallon that’s ready to eat, Andy said.

When the sap runs out of trees, it looks clear like water and has about two percent sugar, Andy continued. The sap is boiled, which caramelizes the sugars to bring out the brown color and maple flavor.

“We’ll tap about 800 trees this year on our farm, and we hope to make about 300 gallons of syrup,” Andy said.

People all over the world – including from England, Germany and Italy - have contacted the family for processed syrup.

Program Coordinator Dennis Hawley said early-March is usually a perfect time for the session, but that it’s often right before the season is over.

“Sap runs when its above freezing in the daytime and below freezing at night,” Hawley said. “We haven’t been above freezing in a while.”

The season can vary in length due to the weather, according to Hawley, especially this winter.

Kinter agreed, and said the season can last from four to six weeks.

“The ideal temperatures are when it’s about 40 degrees in the daytime and 25 (degrees) at night,” Kinter said.”That freeze/thaw process is actually what moves sap into the maple trees.”

That means that sap on any day is different depending on the weather conditions.

“We like to (have the program) early so if people decide to buy equipment to do their own, they still have time to get out and use it,” Hawley said.

Sugar maples have the highest sugar contact but there’s also red maples and silver maples, and you can tap those also but their sugar contact isn’t as concentrated, Hawley said.

Birch syrup can also be made through the same process, Andy said.

“People like different grains, but maple probably is the best,” Hawley said.

Alan started in 1962 and passed on those skills to his son.

Sunday’s free program begins at 2PM. Free samples and simple equipment will also be available.

 

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