The Mystique of Upper Valley

http://web.kottke.org/photos/summer2005/index_17.html

What, precisely, is “Upper Valley”? There is no exact geographical definition. It is generally described as the Connecticut River Valley and watershed centered at the intersection of Interstates 89 and 91 at Lebanon, New Hampshire and White River Junction, Vermont. It extends north as far as St. Johnsbury and as far south as Barre, perhaps even from the Canadian border down to Massachusetts. It reaches east to Interstate 93 and west to the Green Mountains. The parameters are fluid: you are part of Upper Valley if you think you are or want to be.

What is certain, however, is that Upper Valley is a distinct geologic and geographic region with its own unique culture and beauty.

The prevailing feature of Upper Valley is the Connecticut River, whose source is found in northern New Hampshire just south of the Canadian border. The river begins as a mountain pond of only a few acres, eighty feet below the summit of Mount Prospect and twenty-five hundred and fifty-one feet above sea level. The pond is the uppermost of four basins comprising the river’s headwaters, and is blessed with the unimaginative name of Fourth Lake. Less than half a mile downstream is Third Lake, also known as Sophy Lake, at twenty hundred and thirty-eight feet with are area of three-quarters of a square mile set in a mountain forest. At this point the mountain stream attains the status of a full fledged river. Second Lake lies six and a half miles downstream at eighteen hundred eighty-two feet; it is two and three-quarters miles in length and more than a mile wide at its broadest. The river proceeds four more miles to its final basin, with an eighteen foot waterfall just past Second Lake, to First or Connecticut Lake. At sixteen hundred eighteen feet above sea level, Connecticut Lake is four miles long and two and three-quarters miles at its widest.

Attribution: Mike Kline

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:TrophyStretchConnecticuttRiver.jpg

Then the river proceeds headlong to the Vermont/New Hampshire border at Canaan, Vermont and Stewartstown, New Hampshire, through the region some consider a world apart: Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom and New Hampshire’s North Country. Sparsely populated, the difficult landscape promotes isolation and little development. This is hill country, a remote land of granite and scrabble, redeemed at its center by the exceptional beauty of the Connecticut River. Below Littleton, New Hampshire and St. Johnsbury, Vermont the region culturally thought of as Upper Valley begins.

The river valley marks an important geologic plate tectonic boundary. Some geologists believe that the fault is the result of a continental collision and separation they believe occurred approximately six hundred million years ago. They theorize that the North American and African continents collided and then separated, leaving part of Africa attached as New Hampshire. This theory solves a geological mystery: the differences in the rock on the two sides of the river. The older rocks on the Vermont banks are composed of metamorphosed sediments of shale, sandstone, and limestone, consistent with rock typically found on the North American continent. The younger rocks of New Hampshire, especially the granite, are primarily crystalline and metamorphic stone, most often found on the African and European continents.

Vermont and New Hampshire lie next to each other, each a reverse of the other separated by the river. Vermont expands as it heads northward, while New Hampshire contracts. Vermont enjoys a landscape of open meadows and rolling farmland, dotted with small picturesque villages. Census Bureau statistics establish it as the most rural state in the Union. It is the next smallest state in terms of population, behind only Wyoming. Its land is fertile and well suited for farming. Its mountains, aptly named the Green Mountains, are lush in summer and brilliantly colored in the fall. While imposing and extensive, the Green Mountains lack the stark majesty found in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

New Hampshire, with its granite base, has very little soil. What little there is consists of glacial hardpan housing rocks and boulders, inhospitable farm country. Its land is heavily forested and its mountains are bold, steep, and spare. It is the fourth most industrialized state and ranks forty-fourth in population. New Hampshire is blessed with a number of natural lakes. Its White Mountains are home to the presidential range, a series of five majestic mountains dominated by Mount Washington, the tallest peak in New England at 6288 feet. New Hampshire lacks Vermont’s agrarian culture because its mountains are high and jagged and because its boulders and stones are too heavy to remove.

Boundary squabbles, though now resolved, remained contentious until well into the twentieth century. In the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, both the colony of New York and the colony of New Hampshire claimed the land which became Vermont, thanks to conflicting royal land grants. Eventually, Vermont was declared an independent state in 1777 and remained so until 1791. In that year, Vermont paid New York thirty thousand dollars to settle outstanding land disputes and was admitted to the union as the fourteenth state. Vermont was never any country’s colony and joins Texas as one of two states to have been independent republics. Entry into the union did not end boundary squabbles with New Hampshire, however. Although most states sharing a river boundary with a neighbor have agreed on the middle of the river as the boundary, not so New Hampshire and Vermont, who quarreled over which bank was the proper border. It was not until 1934 that the dispute was resolved by the United States Supreme Court, which decreed in The State of Vermont v. The State of New Hampshire that the low water mark of the west bank was the boundary. Having been awarded the entire breadth of the riverbed and its vast water resources, New Hampshire now became the steward of all its bridges. Although the Supreme Court opinion does not explain the reasoning behind its decision, it may have been based on the 1791 compromise facilitating Vermont’s admission to the union whereby New Hampshire law governs the river.

Robert Frost aptly described the symbiosis of the two states in his poem “New Hampshire”:

She’s one of the two best states in the Union

Vermont’s the other. And the two have been

Yokefellows in the sap yoke from of old

In many Marches. And they lie like wedges,

Thick end to thin end and thin end to thick end,

And are a figure for the way the strong

Of mind and strong of arm should fit together,

One thick where one is thin and vice versa.

In the same poem, Frost also referenced the river:

New Hampshire raises the Connecticut

In a trout hatchery near Canada,

But soon divides the river with Vermont.

January

Sustainability is way of living in Upper Valley, where winters are harsh and summers are short. Proper use of key resources, such as soil, water, and timber, has always required ingenuity, hard work, and planning. As we see the earth’s resources depleted, sustainable living becomes not only an ethical and moral obligation, it becomes a fundamental necessity for survival.

.

Wikipedia defines sustainability as “the capacity to endure…. For humans it is the potential for long-term maintenance of well being, which in turn depends on the well being of the natural world and the responsible use of natural resources.” The key words of that definition are “endure,” “well being,” and “responsible.” In order to endure, we must act responsibly in order to preserve well being.

.

January is an appropriate time to consider sustainability. During this often bitterly cold month, how we have lived throughout the past year either promotes or diminishes our well being. Have we stored enough fire wood to provide adequate heat? Have we preserved excess food for consumption during this nonproductive period? Have we prepared our livestock and other animals for the extreme conditions with shelter, food, and water? Have we saved our financial resources to buy enough fuel oil? Can we endure until spring?

.

In the eighteen and nineteenth centuries, when transportation was unreliable, a rural farm had to be self sustaining to survive. The yearly plan was exacting: each component of the farm contributed throughout the productive months in order to endure the winter.

.

The primary crop was corn, easily grown in the rich soil of the river valley. When it was harvested in August, it was fed to the livestock, eaten by the family, or dried for future consumption.

.

The kitchen garden provided vegetables and fruits that were eaten during the harvest season and stored, dried, or preserved for the cold months. Potatoes and onions were stored in the root cellar, as were apples. Many fruits and vegetables, such as tomatoes, peppers, and okra, were preserved in vinegar and stored in the cellar as well. Peaches were dried and rehydrated for future use.

.

Chickens were raised for eggs and meat. They foraged free range and fertilized the soil in the process. Eggs were generally eaten fresh, but they too were sometimes hard boiled and then preserved in vinegar.

.

The family cow provided milk during her producing period of the year, while she was nursing her calf. Excess milk was consumed by the family. Any remaining milk was converted to cheese, which aged well, or fed to the family’s pig. In November, the pig was slaughtered and the meat smoked or processed into ham or bacon, which remained edible in natural cold storage throughout the winter.

So progressed the yearly cycle on the closed system farm.

.

No paean to the Upper Valley would be complete without a tribute to Noel Perrin, one of its patron saints. Ned, as he was known to his friends, was a professor, author, farmer, and ecologist. He was a visionary well ahead of the rest of us, understanding that we, as stewards of this beautiful place, are required to preserve and sustain it.

.

In 1961, Ned bought an eight-five-acre farm in Thetford Center, Vermont. He was then a 35-year-old English professor at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, about fifteen miles from his farm. He was passionate about conservation, particularly with regard to local rural farming. Determined to preserve his eighty-five acres as a farm and out of the hands of developers, he deeded his development rights to a charitable trust. His foresight resulted in a conservation easement that protects his farm in perpetuity.

.

Ned was equally committed to energy conservation. He installed solar panels on the south-facing roof of his barn in the early 1980’s, long before solar generated electricity was mainstream. He somehow acquired an electric car, also in the 1980’s, and drove it cross-country. His voyage is delightfully memorialized in his essays.

.

His commitment to his farm represented an attachment to the land, a connection that bespoke reverence and affection. He cared for his land as a steward honor bound to enhance and preserve it. He was a tireless supporter of the Dartmouth Organic Farm, assisting in ways financial and moral to establish a local crucible for sustainable agriculture.

.

Perhaps his most notable contribution was his work as an environmental evangelist. He helped establish the environmental studies at Dartmouth College, and served as teacher and mentor to many, not just to science students, but to those in other disciplines, so that as wide a group as possible would share his vision.

.

january food

.

When winter truly sets in, and cold weather promises to last forever, thoughts turn to warm, filling comfort food. Winter calls for nourishing, heavier food, consisting of preserved or frozen food and root vegetables stored in the cellar. The notion of a root cellar is apt: a cool, but not frozen place out of the way to store root vegetables such as onions, beets, turnips, and garlic. These foods are important winter fare because they have a longer shelf life than summer fruits and vegetables. The cellar is also useful for storage of preserved and dried fruits and vegetables. Older homes in the Upper Valley have really scary basements with rickety stairs, inadequate light, and earthen floors. But they serve an important purpose: moderating the temperature of the home, providing storage space for food and assorted collectibles, and housing furnaces.
.




Venison Sausage and Chicken Gumbo
.

12 servings


.
1 cup all purpose white flour
.
1 cup olive oil
.
2 cups chopped onion
.
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
.
1 cup chopped celery
.
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
.
10 cups chicken broth
.
Shredded meat from 1 roasted chicken
..
2 pounds cooked venison sausage, sliced in ½ inch pieces
.
4 tablespoons gumbo file
.
Salt and pepper to taste
.
Hot sauce to taste


.

In a heavy Dutch oven, heat the olive oil until almost smoking. Quickly add all the flour at once and begin whisking vigorously. Keep whisking until the flour begins to thicken and turn dark brown, at least 10 minutes. Do not allow the roux to burn.
.
Once the roux is dark and thick, add the onions, bell pepper, and celery. Stir with a wooden spoon and cook until the vegetables begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute.
.
Add the stock and stir to incorporate the liquid into the roux. Add the chicken and sausage, bay leaf, salt and pepper, and gumbo file. Partially cover and cook over low heat for at least 3 hours, stirring occasionally.
Add the hot sauce to taste and serve over white rice.






Spinach Soup with Beans
.


8 Servings


2 pounds of spinach
.
2 tablespoons olive oil
.
1 ½ cups chopped onion
.
1 cup chopped celery
.
1 cup peeled and chopped carrots

.2 cloves garlic minced

.4 cups cooked beans

.5 cups vegetable broth

.1 bay leaf
.
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Grated parmesan cheese


.

Carefully wash the spinach and remove spines and stems. Place spinach in a medium pot over moderate heat and cover, cooking just until the water clinging to the spinach has evaporated and the spinach is wilted. Remove the spinach and coarsely chop.
.
Heat oil in medium pot over moderate heat. Saute onions, celery, and carrots until the vegetables are soft, about 15 minutes. Add beans, broth, and bay leaf. Heat until the soup begins to boil. Serve with chopped parsley and grated parmesan on top.


.




Lentil Soup with Venison Sausage
.


8 servings

.


1 cup olive oil
..
2 cups chopped onion
.
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
.
1 cup chopped celery
.
2 tablespoons minced garlic
.
2 quarts chicken stock or water
.
11/2 cups brown lentils
.
1 tablespoon ground cumin
.
2 tablespoons cumin seed
.
Salt and ground pepper to taste
.
2 tablespoons lemon juice
.
1 pound sliced venison sausage


.


Heat olive oil in a Dutch Oven. Saute onion until soft. Add pepper and celery and sauté until soft. Add garlic and sauté one minute.
.
Add stock or water to the Dutch Oven. Add lentils, ground cumin, cumin seed, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.
.
Saute the venison sausage in one tablespoon of olive oil until cooked through. Add to the lentil soup.
.
















Winter Split Pea Soup


.
Serves 12
.


2 cups chopped onion
.
1 cup chopped celery
.
1 cup peeled and chopped carrot
.
2 teaspoons minced garlic
.
3 tablespoons olive oil
.
3 cups dried green split peas, rinsed and drained
.
Hambone
.
3 quarts water
.
1 bay leaf
.
Salt and pepper to taste
.
3 cups minced cooked ham


.


In a Dutch oven, saute the onion, celery, and garlic in the olive oil over moderate heat until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another 2 minutes.


.
Add the dried split peas, water, hambone, bay leaf, and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Partially cover and cook for 1 hour until the peas are tender, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching.
.

Remove the hambone, and when cool enough to handle, puree the soup in a food processor or blender. Add the minced ham and return the soup to the Dutch oven. Heat until hot.


.








Cassoulet

Cassoulet is a slow cooked bean casserole containing vegetables and meat of some variety.  It originated in the south of France and is named for the cooking dish in which it is traditionally prepared, a deep, round pot with slanting sides, called a cassole.  The preferred bean is a white haricot.  Traditional meats include pork sausage, lamb, and duck confit.  I prefer an easier, equally tasty version using sausage and cooked chicken.  Cassoulet is an ultimate winter comfort food, rich, varied, and delicious.


 8 servings
.


2 cups dried great northern or navy beans
.
4 tablespoons olive oil
.
1 ½ cups chopped onion
.
1 cup peeled and chopped carrots
.
1 cup chopped celery
.
2 cloves garlic, minced
.
4 cups chicken stock
.
1 cup dry white wine
..
1 ½ cups canned diced tomatoes
.
1 pound cooked sausage chopped in ½ inch pieces
.
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
.
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
.
Salt and pepper to taste




.
Place the beans in a medium pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, cover the pot, and remove from heat. Keep the beans in the covered pot for one hour.
.

In a large pot, heat the olive oil. Saute the onion, carrots, and celery for 10 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the stock, wine, tomatoes, and drained beans. Heat to a simmer, then cover. Cook over medium heat until the beans are tender, about 1 ½ hours. Add the sausage, chicken, vinegar, salt and pepper. Simmer for 3 minutes.




Red Beans with Sausage and Rice

8 Servings
.
2 cups dried red kidney beans
.
2 tablespoons olive oil
.
2 cups chopped onions
.
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
.
1 cup chopped celery
.
2 tablespoons garlic
.
1 teaspoon dried oregano
.
1 teaspoon dried thyme
.
Salt and pepper to taste
.
2 bay leaves
.
6 cups chicken broth
.
1 pound cooked sausage sliced into ½ inch pieces


Hot sauce to taste






Place beans in a medium pot and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil, remove from heat, cover the pot, and let the beans stand for an hour.


Saute the onions, bell pepper, and celery in the olive oil until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add the drained beans and the chicken stock, cover, and simmer over low heat for 2 hours.

Add seasonings and sausage and simmer for 30 minutes. Serve over white rice and garnish with chopped green onion and grated cheddar cheese.

February

What better time than a cold February evening to sit by the fire and consider some of the history of Upper Valley’s two states, Vermont and New Hampshire.

VERMONT
European settlers colonized the area now consisting of the states of New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire in the seventeenth century. By 1669, New York was exclusively controlled by the British, with New Hampshire to follow as a British royal colony by 1679. The two provinces were administered on behalf of the Crown by royal governors, who were authorized to make land grants of unchartered land within the province. Full control over boundaries was retained by the Crown. The European Hundred Years War was over in the colonies in 1759, leaving the population free from danger and creating an environment favorable for settlement. While he was Royal Governor of New Hampshire, Benning Wentworth granted seventy-eight towns, many of them in 1761. Many of today’s Upper Valley towns, including Hanover, were chartered that year. Wentworth did not limit his grants to lands east of the Connecticut River; several townships were granted across the River in what became Vermont and were known as “New Hampshire Grants.”

Inevitable land disputes arose when the New York Royal Governor, Cadwallader Colden, issued conflicting grants of land previously granted by the Wentworth, claiming that the New Hampshire governor lacked authority to grant New York land. Called upon to settle the issue, the Crown issued a “Privy Council Order” in 1764, stating that the Connecticut River formed the common boundary between New York and New Hampshire provinces. This jurisdictional edict seemingly defeated the Wentworth grants west of the river. This decision was reversed in 1767, when the Crown stayed New York’s issuance of grants in the New Hampshire Grants territory until such time as His Majesty arrived at a more considered position on the matter. The Crown judiciously distanced itself from the dispute thereafter.

Understandably, given the deference of the Crown, conflicts between New Hampshire grantees and New York authorities continued, aggravated by New York’s attempts, beginning in 1769, to eject the New Hampshire Grants grantees from the lands also granted by New York. The result was revolt: lead by Eathan Allen, New Hampshire Grant grantees formed a militia known as the Green Mountain Boys between 1770 and 1775. In 1777, emboldened by rebellion fever of the thirteen colonies, the settlers of the New Hampshire Grants, declared independence and created the Republic of Vermont. A constitution was adopted, declaring that was subject to no governing authority except its own, rejecting New York and British domination and claiming dominion over the New Hampshire Grants granted by Governor Wentworth. Any challenge to the Vermonters’ ownership rights were met with open and armed defiance.

In 1781, authorities of the Republic of Vermont and officials of the federal Congress entered into negotiations preliminary to Vermont’s admission to the Union. Vermont agreed to relinquish any claims to territory east of the Connecticut River’s western bank. In the meantime, New Hampshire had become one of the thirteen original states of the Union. But federal sentiment was not universal. Forty-five townships east of the Connecticut River voted to attach themselves to the Republic of Vermont, which welcomed them. In these border towns, there were majority and minority governing bodies and elected representatives to legislatures of both New Hampshire and Vermont. Matters became especially heated when each jurisdiction arrested the sheriff of its rival authority. Militias were ordered to be armed and ready to fight, and the territories remained on the brink of civil war for some weeks. Finally, Governor Chittenden of Vermont sought the assistance of General George Washington, who negotiated a peace in which Vermont agreed to cede its claim to towns east of the river. In 1791, Vermont paid the state of New York the sum of $30,000 to settle the latter’s territorial claims. Vermont was admitted as the fourteenth state of the Union in 1791.


NEW HAMPSHIRE

Unlike many of the English colonies, New Hampshire was not settled as a result of religious or political persecution. Instead, it was established as a commercial venture, planned in great detail and much enthusiasm by the English crown and Parliament. King James I conceived the settlement to exploit the natural resources of the new world, free land encumbered only by unique loyalty to English sovereignty.

In 1614, Captain John Smith of England, who later colonized Virginia, sailed the New England coast and deeply inspired by the beauty of its shores and the bounty of its resources. Smith first named the area “North Virginia,” but King James later renamed it “New England.”

In 1623, Captain John Mason, possessed of an English land grant, sent David Thomson and Edward and Thomas Hilton, who were London fish merchants, to establish a fishing village near at the mouth of the Piscataqua River, in what is now eastern New Hampshire. The men were accompanied by a number of other people organized in two divisions. Thomson’s division settled Little Harbor, or Pannaway, now Rye, New Hampshire. and built salt-drying fish racks and a stone factory. The Hilton division established fishing stages some eight miles away in a town it named Northam, now known as Dover. Soon the town of Portsmouth was established, named for the English port where Captain Mason commanded the fort. His native English county Hampshire inspired the naming of the colony “New Hampshire.”

By 1635, Mason had invested more than 22,000 pounds to clear the land, contruct building, and mount defense. Dover and Portsmouth thrived, and Hampton and Exeter were settled. The territory, organized in communities of towns based on the English model, became a royal province in 1679 with John Cutt as its president. Its status as a royal province lasted until 1698, when it was incorporated in the jurisdiction of Massachusetts under Governor Joseph Dudley. The Massachusetts dominion ended in 1741, when King George II restored its provincial status and appointed Benning Wentworth as governor. Wentworth’s leadership ended in 1766.

From 1741 to 1761, the colony of New Hampshire faced constant threat of violence at the hands of the native population. England, at war at the time with France, offered little assistance. The colonists defeated the French and the Indians largely alone, and with the Treaty of Paris in 1762 came the peace and stability necessary for explorating, surveying, and populating the colony. Governor Wentworth proceeded to partition the territory, granting thirty-eight towns before and during 1761, and many more thereafter, home to more than thirty thousand families. Many settlers came from older towns in southern New Hampshire, still others from neighboring states. Wentworth also made land grants across the Connecticut River in today’s Vermont. This land would be the subject of future jurisdictional tension. The grants conveyed land in fee simple, with political rights and governmental authority reserved by the province. Land could not be taxed until improved by the grantee, who was required to settle the property within a set amount of time. Rights were set aside for the building of roads, churches, and schools, and mill rights were given priority. The King’s navy claimed all tall pines, and it is said that the Crown particularly valued the pines on Occam Ridge in Hanover for its royal masts.

When Benning Wentworth died in 1770, his nephew, John Wentworth. Sir John, as he was later known, was the last royal governor. He is known for his large estate, Kingswood, on the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee, which afterwards became the town of Wolfeborough. He built state-wide roads, organized a state militia, helped found Dartmouth College (1769), and published the first accurate state map. Unable to abandon his royalist loyalty, be fled to Nova Scotia at the beginning of the American Revolution, serving as its lieutenant governor until he died in 1820.

New Hampshire was the first colony to declare its independence from the Crown and adopt its own constitution. It hesitated longer in joining the Union, becoming the ninth and deciding state to do so. Its own John Langdon was the first acting vice-president of the United States and served as President of the Senate under Washington.

March

MARCH

MAPLE SYRUP

There is perhaps no food more closely associated with New England than maple syrup. This delicious, uniquely flavored syrup is distilled from the sap of certain maples native to this area. While maple syrup is not exclusive to Upper Valley, it is clearly an important part of the culture and local cuisine.


Long before European settlement, North American natives used concentrated sweetners made from maple sap. Native Americans discovered how to extract sap by cutting a gash in trees, inserting a wood chip to keep the wound open, and gathering the flowing sap.

Maple syrup and sugar are formed by extraction of excess water from the sap. There were two early methods of distillation: heat and cold. Sap was boiled, evaporating the wat22er until a thickened, sweet liquid resulted. Further boiling concentrated the syrup until its sucrose crystallized when cooled, creating maple sugar. The cold method involved freezing the sap in large, shallow vessels. The ice was then discarded, leaving the concentrated sap. After several repetitions, sufficient water was removed to leave a thickened and sweet liquid, what we know as maple syrup. The boiling method, somewhat refined, is still the standard.

In Upper Valley, sap is generally collected in March, after the first major thaw until the bursting of the leaf buds. After that point, the tree emits fluids that impart an unpleasant flavor to the syrup. Four climatic conditions influence the sap run. Good sap runs need a harsh winter in which roots are frozen; roots kept cold in the spring by snow cover, extreme diurnal and nocturnal variations of temperatures, and adequate sun exposure. Other tree species, such as birch, hickory, and elm, can be tapped for syrup. But the maple sap is the sweetest and most prolific.

The sap is gathered from the tree by drilling a hole through the bark and inserting a spout. The sap flows from the tree through the spout and drips into a bucket. The Abenaki devised their own method of drip collection. Sap would seep out of a gash or hole in the tree, but then it would merely drip down the side of the trunk, making harvesting very difficult. The Abenakis discovered that if a straight stick were inserted in the trunk just below the seeping hole, the sap would drip over the stick and into a lower vessel.

Grades are assigned to maple syrup based on color, flavor, and sugar content. The grading terminology and criteria differ depending on location. For example, New York State’s grading system differs from that of Vermont. In Upper Valley, Fancy, New York’s Light Amber, is the palest and most delicately flavored. Grade A, New York’s Medium Amber, is darker and more flavorful, while grade B, New York’s Dark Amber, is even darker and has a still stronger flavor. ( C, which is syrup that is too dark and strong to be graded, is used in supermarket blends.) To complicate matters further, Canada has five grades, and the United States Department of Agriculture ??????? The use of the various grades is a matter of personal taste. Those with refined palates prefer Fancy with pancakes, while Grade A satisfies those who prefer a stronger maple taste. Grade B is generally best used as a cooking ingredient. And ungraded or even burned syrup can be successfully turned into maple sugar candy.

A grove of sugar maples is called a sugarbush. Not all maples produce the right kind of sugaring sap: sugar maples, not red maples, are the desirable trees. It takes some amount of expertise to tell them apart, especially in March, when the leaves have not yet sprouted. A tree mature enough to tap is at least 40 years old and has a minimum diameter of ten inches. 

Although maple syrup may be cooked in a heavy pot on a stove, sugaring of any significant quantity takes place in a sugarhouse, a small free-standing structure generally near the sugarbush. The cooking vessel is called an evaporator, a heavy metal specially designed stove generally fired with wood. The sap is boiled at a high temperature until sufficient water is evaporated to produce a sweetened, thickened liquid the consistency of syrup. It is then cooled and placed in a tin or other storage vessel. When syrup itself is further evaporated, maple sugar, often molded as candy, is created. In the nineteenth century, maple sugar was the stock sweetner of the Northeast, priced competitively with cane sugar and easily transported in solid form.

Maple sap is mostly water and has hardly any taste before boiling. It takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup.

WEATHER

March is a wet month.  Snow melt typically augments seasonal heavy rains.  As a result, the rivers and streams are often swollen and angry.  As the ice breaks up on the Connecticut, huge flows make their way downriver, a sight both powerful and a little frightening.  At this point, Upper Valley is ready for spring and warm weather.

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Afterward