Craybas Maple Shack

2011 Price List

2011-03-01T10:38:00.003-05:00

Quart $20
Pint $12

Tapping begins

2011-02-21T14:48:00.001-05:00

So 2 boils down which yield about a gallon each of finished Maple Syrup. The First Run is always the lightest, most gorgeous flavor that there is.....hint of Maple and sooo pale.

Finally ~~Sap is a flowin'

2010-02-28T12:13:00.000-05:00

We are know starting to get somewhere with this wacky weather we have been having. The sap has started to run and we are collecting by the gallons. Today's boil should finish around 8 pm and all will continue this week.

Stay tuned

2010 Price List

2010-02-16T10:11:00.001-05:00

We hope to offer the same pricing as last year..I will know more in a few weeks as we begin to Sugar and bottle :)

Trees are Tapped and Sap begins to flow

2010-02-15T13:00:00.002-05:00

Countdown to Sugar Season

2010-01-16T11:22:00.002-05:00

Well,
The season is upon us ...As these cold winter days turn to Spring.

The 40 degree days and cold nights are what we need to tap trees.

This should begin around February 2nd or so.

I'll keep you posted.

As always ...email craybas4@gmail.com to pre order Syrup for the 2010 season

Alicia

The END

2009-03-28T13:14:00.000-04:00

Well, This year started off with a bang and ended with a thud and not a good thud at all. We had a spike in temp on one Sunday which made the sap start to turn. Being Quality Control and Head of Sugaring, I decided along with Doug to throw out the almost 200 gallons that we had collected and were using as fast as we could.

Nothing could prepare us for the 40 to 61 degree change in temp so quickly and that is Mother Nature at her worst.

Our season started late and ran longer , but all in all we are still short about 7 boils which adds up to 7 Gallons of Maple Syrup.

I apologize to those who waited so patiently and were eager to try either the first time or as a repeat customer.

Weather controls US , we cannot control the Weather !!

On Wed, 25th , we pulled the taps as trees are budding and Spring has Sprung. This makes for rancid tasting syrup and even though some still use it, We do NOT

Thank you for following us this season

Can we get some SUNSHINE and WARMTH

2009-03-05T08:31:00.003-05:00

Oh man, I am wayyyy behind this year with the syrup making . Only 7 boils so far and usually we are about twice that by now. I can only hope that this weekend brings the sunshine and higher temps that I need to get this thing going again. Yesterday, we made 3 Quarts and that is all that we have to boil. Taps are frozen and buckets are filled with solid sap , completely iced over. The wind from the snowstorm has ripped off a few roof covers from the buckets that are hanging in the yard. I need to dig those out and put them back on to prevent water melt from going in the bucket.

Ahh, the fun starts today. We will probably get hammered with Sap this weekend and collect over 200 gallons and I'll be boiling everyday next week. We shall see :)

Stay Tuned

Alicia

WOW !! Over 100 gallons

2009-02-28T16:33:00.002-05:00

Today has been such a busy collecting and boiling day. We have over 100 gallons of sap from overnight and still running as of 4pm full force. I bet another 100 gallons overnight and then a BIG freeze due to the drop in temps and possible snow this week.

As you can see, the syrup has turned from Fancy Light to Medium Amber as the weeks and days go by.

Thanks to all of you who have emailed to order syrup . I promise to fill the orders ASAP. I hope that today will yield a gallon and tomorrow another gallon :)

Remember, Syrup has beneficial antioxidants and is a 100 % Natural Product. We add nothing to our syrup or sap in the sugaring process. Just keeping it "real." The way Nature intended.

Today's update

2009-02-26T19:19:00.004-05:00

$15 a Quart and $10 a Pint
craybas4@gmail.com
203-730-1313

For the first time this season I was able to get 1 Gallon plus 1 cup of Finished Syrup. Today's syrup is a darker, more maple flavor. I have attached photos to compare and see what a difference a few weeks of sap running makes in the color and taste. The fancy grade A light amber is usually from first runs. The darker Ambers come as the season progresses .

Sugar Shack Staff

2009-02-26T15:03:00.001-05:00

More Photos

2009-02-26T14:59:00.001-05:00

Today is finally 40 degrees

2009-02-26T14:50:00.005-05:00

Well, It is finally about 40 degrees and some sunshine so trees are flowing slowly but surely . I took advantage of the sun and took a few photos of the tapped trees and evaporating of the sap. I hope that you enjoy them !! The sweet smell of maple is in the air as the sap begins to turn. It gradually gets a light brown color and will thicken as it gets closer to a high sugar content. There is 97% -98% water in sap and only 2-3 % sugar content. That is why the ratio of sap to syrup is 40:1.
I anticipate that today boil will take from 7:30 am to about 4:30 pm to complete and I will yield about 3-4 Quarts of Syrup at most.

Slow Start due to Frigid Temps in CT

2009-02-24T17:39:00.002-05:00

Well we were off to a bang in the first week with temps in the 40's daytime and 20's at night. The wive's tale is that you tap at the first full moon in February which we did. The first 17 days , we boiled 200 gallons and had 4 3/4 gallons of finished fancy amber syrup.
All of a sudden the freeze hit and the taps stopped running. I can only hope that this week brings back some 40's and sunshine to melt my frozen buckets.

NEW PRICES:

Quart $15
Pint $10

I'll keep you posted on the boils

Price List and Sizes

2009-02-09T08:59:00.002-05:00

We hope to offer the same price for a Quart as last year which was $15.
We are looking at adding a smaller size such as a Pint this year .

Keep checking back for prices and when syrup will be ready.

I hope to start this week and have fresh product available by the weekend.

Remember , it takes 40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of finished Syrup, so patience is the KEY

Tree Tappin Time 2009

2009-02-08T12:19:00.001-05:00

Well, the week looks promising for temps in the 40's and cold nights .
We decided to tap and see what happens. That will make a longer boiling season for us this year and perhaps more of the sweet stuff available to sell to friends who are already asking for some Craybas Family Maple Syrup.

Sold Out !!!

2008-04-01T12:47:00.002-04:00

We are officially sold out of the Sweet Stuff this season, so please send me an email so that I may place you on a list for next season. First come, first served basis.

send email to :
aliciacraybas@sbcglobal.net

Maple Sugared Pecans

2008-03-21T09:00:00.003-04:00

OK , so here it is! The best Nut recipe that you have ever had.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Coat either Pecan or (maybe) roasted unsalted almonds
with 1/2-1 cup of Craybas Maple Syrup
mix well, until all nuts are covered with syrup
Pour into a buttered , shallow baking pan (9x13) is fine
Bake for 10-12 minutes until it looks bubbly
Let cool for a minimum of 45 min-1hr
The longer it cools, the more sugar will crystallize

ENJOY

Grand Total of 23 Boils this year

2008-03-14T08:34:00.004-04:00

Last year was a grand total of 12 with two losses to burns
I have to say that I enjoyed getting up with no syrup to clean up in the kitchen
and no missed syrup stickiness on me that I forgot about from the night before.

SO That means almost 22 finished gallons of MAPLE GOODNESS !!!!

We were able to share it with sooooo many more people this year which was a good thing (how Martha Stewart)

That's All Folks

2008-03-13T08:11:00.001-04:00

Well, today is our last boil

We have run out of wood and the temps are a rising.

See you next year

Sugaring Credits

2008-03-11T12:54:00.002-04:00

This year, I must add a BIG Thanks to :

My Dad, Bill Ochs,

Jim Griffin,

Doug's Dad,Larry Craybas

for all their assistance with managing a roaring fire and lifting off a hot batch of sap !

Looks like this weekend may be it

2008-03-10T10:43:00.003-04:00

Well , 6 weeks has almost come and gone
and we are starting to tire (lots of physical labor)
6-8 hrs of boiling and feeding wood into the fire
We have only been able to collect from our 75 taps on foot due to the
HUGE amounts of rain and now mud that is our backyard.
The little dog , Tia has learned to walk the planks over the mud
by following our lead, pretty funny to watch .

Enjoy the sweetness

The Last Hurrah

2008-03-09T10:04:00.003-04:00

I think that this may be the last week for Sugaring here in Bethel,CT. With the temps on the rise next week and the weird weekend weather that we are currently having, it has been a whirlwind last few days. Once the temps were 50-60 degrees, we are done. We still have plenty of fancy grade and dark grade so let us know if you are interested in some quarts
. Time is of the essence.

2008-03-01T16:31:00.004-05:00

Spring is in the air:

The sap is going to start once again and we will be in full production for the month of March.

So far, this has been our best producing year and the best for syrup clarity. It seems that we have tweaked the filtering and hydrometer just so that the quality is better.

Thanks
Alicia,Doug and sons

2008-02-28T06:57:00.001-05:00

New updates:

We have two more boils done that gave a light amber grade and a fancy light grade both of which are available as well as a few dark amber quarts. Feel free to contact me at aliciacraybas@sbcglobal.net to order

Thanks and stay sweet

2008-02-25T09:47:00.004-05:00

Take a look at the difference in color of these two syrups. Light is beginning of the season and the dark was yesterday which was a double batch.

The sap is a runnin'

2008-02-21T13:58:00.000-05:00

We started sap collection February 4th and have been a success so far. With 10 boils under our belt this year alone. We have finally achieved a thickness of the syrup that we have been trying for 3 years to get. A breakthrough with the hydrometer that we got from Bascom's in NH.

We also started to pack syrup in plastic jugs, boy are we looking like a real company now.

2008-02-21T13:54:00.001-05:00