It turns out all three of the taps are working - yippee! At first, only two buckets had sap in them but yesterday, the third started running so that is lots more sap. It tastes like slightly sweetened water with a mineral twang. I have evaporated about 14 gallons and the syrup is starting to taste pretty yummy! There is a fine grainy, sand-like by-product that has to be sieved off before the syrup gets too thick so I have strained it a couple times now. A poor little honey bee flew into the kitchen the other day - I think he was a little confused - but the whole kitchen must smell like sweet, gooey sap that any honey bee would like!
I also made the Waldorf-Astoria Red Velvet recipe - without the red food coloring - and it was oh so delicious! It did actually have a slight dark red tinge to it - maybe because it did not have as much chocolate in it as the second recipe - and the beets' color was more prominent. I actually halved the recipe (it then fit into an 8" square pan) and used cake flower to make sure it was light and fluffy. Oh boy,could I eat Red Velvet all day long!!!
To tag on to what Bernadine has already said about gardening - I started seeds as well. Had to thin out some cabbage sprouts because I over-seeded but I just washed them off and put them is salad - a nice zip! I'll probably buy some tomato plants so I have some early fruit but I started my Romas in the house. I just used up the last of my harvest from last year in some awesome Red Italian Gravy - recipe from my MIL - the key is to use pork neck bones!
PS I tried to add pics but it would not download. Anyone have any ideas on how best to do that?
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