As the seasons change and we look forward to the apple season, consider trying this recipe from Chef Alexandra at Spoon and Stable Restaurant in Minneapolis. A very talented, creative chef, Alex created an apple and oat crisp for dessert at Spoon and Stable. This recipe was shared on their mailing list - try it and enjoy the tastes of fall. If you have a chance, book a reservation at Spoon and Stable (https://www.spoonandstable.com) and try Alex's dessert or Bellecour (https://bellecourrestaurant.com) for their decadent Pain Perdu (French term for French Toast).

   Here is Alex's recipe for her Apple Oat Crisp:

Photo credit: Libby Anderson/ photographer and social media director with Soigné Hospitality.

Time has slipped away this summer and once again, it is Labor Day weekend. We've done a lot of work in the sugarbush this summer and it's time to get a post on our website.

 Following the end of season cleanup, our new evaporator is back in pristine condition.

The Minnesota Maple Syrup Producers Meeting was held in Aitkin, MN mid-May and attended by over 100 sugar makers. Presentations included proper cleaning and sanitation methods as well as latest regulatory updates. The annual "crop report" given by individual sugamakers identified consistently high sap production, deep snow for putting in taps/assessing for leaks and exhausted members who trekked through the deep snow.

 The annual syrup contest had 6 judges, blind tasting of syrup samples and eager sugar makers, hoping their syrup won and would give bragging rights for another year! Somerskogen Sugarbush did quite well with a first place finish in the Amber Rich and a second place award in the Dark Robust division. We were quite pleased!

 We will see how our maple syrup compares at the International Maple Syrup meeting in October. This year the international meeting will be held in Duluth, MN.

 Our plans for the off-season include replacing and upgrading the tubing system in the remaining portion of our sugarbush. This will allow us to maximize the vacuum system and incorporate the latest in tubing technology. All of the tubing enhancements will be done by Roth Sugarbush from Cadott, WI.

I'm not sure where the time has gone, but the days flew by with the final syruping, cleaning, bottling, more cleaning and we didn't add any posts to spring production after early April. 

We ended up with a grand total of 531 gallons for 2019 from our 1050 taps, and truly feel the syrup made this year is the best it has ever tasted. Whether that is due to the more constant heat of the propane evaporator, vs our wood -fired evaporator, we don't know. The end result is the maple syrup tastes terrific! We hope others agree with us this weekend at the MN Maple Syrup Producer's Association meeting in Aitkin, MN. You be the judge when you taste our syrup!

On another related note, we just bottled a delicious Bourbon Barrel Maple Syrup in cooperation with Tom and Jean Slattery of JJ's Wine, Spirits and Cigars in Sioux Falls, SD.https://jjswine.com  They provided Somerskogen Sugarbush with an 11 year old  Knob Creek Single Barrel . We aged some of our 2018 maple syrup in the barrel for 6 months and the flavor is amazing! We have a very limited supply of these bottles, so if you are interested, order soon.

We'll have another Bourbon Barrel Maple Syrup ready around September, this barrel from Buffalo Trace.  It will be interesting to taste the difference from the Knob Creek.

Thank you for reading our posts and ordering our maple syrup. We appreciate it!