It’s a sappy business....

     It’s Sunday morning ... breakfast time. You are ready to sit down to a scrumptious meal consisting of bacon, eggs, coffee, toast and fruit with a side of homemade, fluffy pancakes. But wait! Where’s the syrup? With a spread like this, you certainly couldn’t settle for a store-bought, semi-artificial version. Hmm.

     You look in the refrigerator ... where could it be? ... the “good stuff.” Lucky for you, a bottle of pure maple syrup was available at your fingertips, purchased right here in Gowanda at Maple Glen Sugar House, which is owned and operated by Paul and Dana Lesefske. But what does it take to make “pure maple syrup?” Well, for those who are not sap-savvy, it takes a lot.

     The ideal time to collect sap from the maple trees is when there is still enough snow on the ground to keep the moisture trapped within the roots. As there is such a short harvesting time (approximately four to six weeks), collection commences at the end of February when the temperature is at or below freezing at night and in the ‘40s during the day. The temperature is the biggest factor. Once it warms up enough for the trees to start budding, the season is over.

     The next part of the equation to harvesting sap consists of tubing - miles of it. In the Lesefske brother’s case, six miles.

     Very few trees are tapped individually with a metal bucket hanging on its trunk. Instead, for efficiency, plastic tubing connects the majority of the trees, and along with the help of a vacuum, the sap is collected into a holding tank in the middle of the woods. From there, a truck with a tanker attached gathers the sap and takes it back to the sugar shack. And the sugar shack is where the transformation process begins.

     The sap first goes through a reverse-osmosis process and then continues on to a huge, fuel-oiled heated tank (the evaporator) within the sugar shack where it is watched over constantly to a temperature of 212 degrees.

     Up to 340 gallons of sap can be cooking within an hour, but only seven gallons of properly dense syrup are able to be drawn off at a time. The sap is then filtered so as to remove any “sugar sand” before it continues on into the kitchen. And although syrup is the most sought-after product, the Lesefske brothers create many other items in their kitchen.

     Ever hear of “jack wax?” It is made by pouring hot syrup over snow, thus transforming it into taffy. Maple peanuts are created by pouring 245-degree syrup over peanuts and tossing gently. Candy can be derived from syrup by heating it up to 238 degrees and then letting it cool. And last, but not least, is maple cream. Syrup is brought to a temperature of 232 degrees, cooled quickly by immersing in cold water, and whipped in a special machine.

     Mmmmm. Are you hungry yet? Then you’d beuer make your way down to the Maple Glen Sugar House, located at 2266 Zoar Road between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. You will find quite a variety of “must-have” items — from maple syrup (of different grades — purely Mother Nature’s choice) to pancake mixes to candy and candles. Call 532-5483 or log onto the Web site at www.mapleweekend.com soon. Your breakfast is waiting ...!