Pure Maple Syrup
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Maple syrup making is an art that has changed little over time. Native North Americans taught European settlers how to extract the sap of maple trees and boil it into the delicious, versatile sweetener that remains popular today.
At Cooks' Woods, Fennimore WI, we produce maple syrup much the same way that it has been for decades. In the early spring, when daytime temperatures are above freezing and night-time temperatures are below, taps are driven into the thin layer of wood just beneath the bark of the farm's maple trees. Sap flows from the trees into a network of tubing and then into a series of barrels and bulk tanks. The sap is collected from these containers and transported to the sugar house where it is boiled into syrup using a traditional wood fired evaporator. The syrup is then bottled on the farm and sold locally. Its flavor, like that of all site-specific maple syrups, is unique to its location.
In case you are wondering: our maple sap usually contains 2-3 percent sugar as it is collected from the trees, maple syrup contains 66 percent sugar when it is bottled, and it takes approximately 40 gallons of sap to boil down to one gallon of maple syrup.
Maple Syrup Production Season
Our maple syrup production season is usually a two to three week period sometime between the last week in February and the first week in April. It's safe to predict "sometime in March" we will be making syrup. It is also safe to predict that we will not boil every day once the sap begins to run. If you would like to see our syrup in process, call us at 608-943-8099 or check our website to find out if we are boiling sap into syrup that day. Starting around March 1 we will update this website and our farm telephone answering machine message by 8 a.m. each day to indicate boiling status.
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Open House
We host our annual maple syrup open house at our farm the last Saturday in March. Maple treats are available to sample along with free recipes, and syrup making demonstrations are offered throughout the day. Syrup is available for purchase during the open house and at other times by appointment as long as quantities permit. Please call ahead if you would like us to package a specific quantity for you. We will return your call to arrange for pick up of your order.
We mail postcards to folks who wish to be reminded when the maple syrup season gets close. If you would like your name added to our mailing list, please contact us by e-mail or leave a message at 608-943-8099.
Maple Syrup Recipes
Over the years we have collected a variety of recipes that use maple syrup. In some cases we can't even remember who gave them to us. Here are some of our favorite Maple Syrup Recipes which you may download and print for your use. Contact us for more information or sources for maple oriented cookbooks.
Maple Syrup
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| Glass Bottles with handles | |
| 8 fl. oz. | $4.50 |
| 12 fl. oz. | $6.35 |
| 64 fl. oz. (1/2 gal.) | $30.65 |
| 128 fl. oz. (1 gal.) | $60.40 |
| Glass Decanters (round bottles without handles) | |
| 16 fl. oz. (1 pt.) | $8.05 |
| 32 fl. oz. (1 qt.) | $15.65 |
| Maple Leaf shaped glass gift bottles | |
| 100ml. (3.4 fl. oz.) | $ 5.75 |
| 250 ml. (8.4 fl. oz.) | $ 8.75 |
| Prices and availability subject to change | |
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