Are there events you attended as a child that sorta “stuck” with you into adulthood? One of mine is the Maple Syrup Fair held in Parke County, Indiana for two weekends every year. I remember attending it as a child and try to return every other year or so. Also, in a weird way, it is one of the first signs of spring and an activity that is also quite tasty!
Parke County, Indiana is located slightly southwest of Indianapolis, close to the Illinois border. It is better known for its 10 day Covered Bridge Festival held in October every year. Thousands of people visit during this period to enjoy the multiple flea markets, art shows and the fall foliage as they drive from covered bridge to covered bridge.
The lesser known event is the Maple Syrup Fair usually held on the last Saturday and Sunday in February and the first Saturday and Sunday in March from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. each day. My recommendation is that you begin your journey with a pancake meal served by Parke County Incorporated at the Parke County Fairgrounds located on Interstate 41, one mile north of Rockville, Indiana.
Situated around the room are representatives from some of the sugar camps selling different sized containers of pure maple syrup (don’t forget to pick up your county map of sugar camp locations throughout the county). The Bridgeton Mill is also present selling a large assortment of different ground flours, bolted and unbolted. I was taught that prior to using metal sifters; freshly ground flour was sifted with large pieces of cloth that, of course, were cut from bolts of cloth. Hence, the term “bolted” flour means flour that has been sifted and “unbolted” flour is that what has not been sifted and is rougher in texture. My friends bought some unbolted purple corn flour reminiscent of the type they enjoyed during their recent trip to Peru in South America. In the past, I have purchased buckwheat flour from them and it was quite good. BTW, I also learned that buckwheat is an herb rather than a grain which is why bakers tend to mix it with white or wheat flour when using it to bake. They sell these different flours online at their website and I heartedly encourage you to purchase product from them.
The adult meal costs $6.00 and consists of three pancakes, two sausage patties, and choice of coffee, milk, or orange juice. You receive one serving of butter and one serving of REAL maple syrup (you must pay for additional servings of syrup – I always require two). This year, the sausage patties were a little overcooked but still quite tasty. Each pancake is approximately ten inches in diameter so trust me in that you will fill up! My meal was breakfast at 8:30 a.m. and I did not need to eat again until mid-afternoon.
Also featured in the room are artisans who paint in oils and water colors, wood carvers, quilters, and musicians, most notably a man who creates and plays mountain dulcimers. Don’t leave without visiting additional vendors and craftspeople located in another building on the grounds. They have candles, leather goods, crafts, and treats for sale.
Following our Parke County map, we drove into the countryside to the Williams and Teague Sugar Camp. This operation boils down maple sap to manufacture approximately 200 gallons of pure maple syrup every year. It was hear that we learned that approximately 60 gallons of sap must be boiled down to create one gallon of pure maple syrup. One gallon of syrup at this camp costs $45.00. Expensive? Now, you know why.
Before turning toward home, we visited one more camp that was a little more primitive in appearance and, regretfully, they had not yet begun to boil down sap. However, we were delighted to see that they still utilized traditional tree buckets in the sap collection process. Most camps today will collect sap via a series of tubes that feed into centralized collection tanks.
These tanks are then brought into the sugar shacks to be emptied into the boilers for processing. This process is quicker and more efficient that the more traditional yet separate tree buckets. I was able to put my finger into a bucket and taste pure maple tree sap. It was VERY thin and tasted like simple sugar water.
Parke County is approximately one hour from our house. We had departed at 7:00 in the morning and our friends deposited us back home by 11:30. It was a wonderful way to spend a late winter/early spring morning with good friends and I can still taste the sweetness of that Hoosier made, homemade maple syrup. It was a good time.
