Parke County Maple Syrup Fair - 2009

I tend to become very restless this time of year.

The crisp, cold, days make me so very happy to be inside yet the sunshine and occasional warm trends make me long for the days of spring when we can be outside. Last Sunday, we found the perfect activity to appease our restlessness with the utmost of educational and culinary satisfaction.

For decades, Parke County, Indiana has sponsored their annual Maple Syrup Fair during the last weekend in February and the first weekend in March.

So, last Sunday with the skies an ice blue, the air crisp, and a light snow on the ground, Ed and I decided to head out to Rockville, Indiana for a breakfast of pancakes and sausages and a chance to watch REAL maple syrup being made.

The fair is open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each weekend day and is headquartered at the fairgrounds located on S.R. 41, about one mile north of Rockville. We parked our car (no charge) and wandered into the first building where the most cars were parked. Inside, the large room was surrounded with booths featuring local artisans at work painting, sketching, drawing, etc. as Parke County is famous for its large concentration of professional artists.

Elsewhere in the room were tables occupied by workers from the five Parke County maple sugar camps. They were selling homemade maple syrup in all sized containers and were distributing directions on how to reach their sugar camps by car – but more on that later.

Another booth featured ground flour products from the historical Bridgeton Mill in Bridgeton, Indiana. While my budget would not allow for a purchase of syrup, I did splurge on a bag of buckwheat flour as I intend to treat Ed to buckwheat pancakes and buckwheat crepe entrees akin to the common cuisine enjoyed in Normandy, France.

Now for the good stuff! We each queued up for the $5.00 breakfast consisting of three 10” pancakes with REAL maple syrup, two sausage patties, and milk (yes, Ed’s was chocolate). There was another choice for a smaller portion as well as a sausage biscuit breakfast but I can only ask, “WHY???!!!”

Our breakfast was amazing and afterwards, we proceeded over to the second building to visit other artisans who had booths here. I struck up an enlightening conversation with a woman who was selling homemade honey and other bee-related products. I purchased a jar of wild flower honey and, it too, is amazing. I am developing an interest in beekeeping and she helped me with a lot of advice and information, but I will save that for another posting! Finally, we “hit the road” to find us a sugar camp.

As mentioned above, there are numerous camps where, in some cases, multiple generations of families have operated these “sugar shacks” in Park County tapping their sugar maple trees for sap that they boil into pure maple syrup. NOTE: Before heading out to the camps, check with the fair’s information desk to confirm what camps are open. Some may close on occasion due to weather conditions or other obligations.

I was (again) amazed to learn that, on average, it can take approximately 60 gallons of sap to produce one gallon of maple syrup. I also learned that only one-tenth of one percent of a tree’s sap is extracted resulting in approximately 23 gallons of sap per tree. One gallon of syrup requires approximately eight hours in boiling time from its original consistency.

After visiting only the one camp (Baird’s), we proceeded home along the country roads. Our direction afforded us the opportunity to drive through one of the MANY covered bridges for which this county is renowned. While we have often visited this country during the summer or autumn seasons, the winter weather showcased the bridge in a beautiful light. We took our time getting home arriving at 2:00 in the afternoon. We had enjoyed ourselves so very much and still had the remainder of the day for other things.

The 2009 Parke County Maple Syrup Fair operates for one more weekend – Saturday, February 28th and Sunday, March 1st from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.

Take the kids or make it a date for the two of you. Get an early start so that you don’t miss the early morning, winter “magic.” After all, pancakes with REAL syrup tastes much better during the cold, morning hours.