We were pretty much at the point of having had quite enough of sugar shacks and maple syrup when it occurred to us we hadn't actually had any 'sugar on snow' so continued on our journey to find a shack that was doing this traditional sweet treat.
We found Palmer's Suagrworks...
Okay, so it all looked pretty much the same basic set up as everywhere else we'd seen!
Except for one thing so far as we could see...
... This place didn't use a thermometer to determine when the syrup was hot enough. They used the more traditional 'syrup shovel' method, where they dip said shovel into the boiling syrup and check how it 'strings' when dripping back off.
Yup, time to run it off... again ;)
Finally making it back to Dakin Farms we arrived to the sound of frenzied banjo playing... there was a guitar/banjo duet playing away in the shack, and they were actually really good. A big crowd had gathered so we had a little listen and then got our bowl of sugar on snow and headed out into the sun to enjoy it.
For sugar on snow (basically a bowl of crushed ice with syrup drizzled over it) the syrup is boiled to a much higher temperature so that as it rapidly cools on teh 'snow' it turns to a chewy, toffee-like consistency.
Tradition says you have to eat a sour pickle with it. Adam wasn't much into that but Jayne quite enjoyed it!
Before leaving we had a little sneaky look inside their distribution center, cunningly designed and built to look like an old red barn.
We needed to stop for fuel and found this quirky little place on the way back - just like the old gas stations you see in films, where the pumps are actually attached to the building, with the obligatory big ice bin on the side too.
We also came across another covered bridge and of course had to get the inevitable photos going over it...
We sent Safi on ahead to make sure it was sound!? ;) Awwww - she looks like 'The Littlest Hobo'... well kinda. Do you remember that kids TV programme from the 70's/80's?
The end.
We found Palmer's Suagrworks...
Okay, so it all looked pretty much the same basic set up as everywhere else we'd seen!
Except for one thing so far as we could see...
... This place didn't use a thermometer to determine when the syrup was hot enough. They used the more traditional 'syrup shovel' method, where they dip said shovel into the boiling syrup and check how it 'strings' when dripping back off.
Yup, time to run it off... again ;) Whilst this place offered sugar on snow the Devon farmer came out in Adam and he determined it was a rip off - they wanted almost $4 for a bowl whereas most other places we'd seen the day before were half the price... so yes, this meant one final trip back to Dakin Farms...
En route we came across one of Vermont's infamous covered bridges... we didn't need to go over it... but of course we did.
En route we came across one of Vermont's infamous covered bridges... we didn't need to go over it... but of course we did.
Finally making it back to Dakin Farms we arrived to the sound of frenzied banjo playing... there was a guitar/banjo duet playing away in the shack, and they were actually really good. A big crowd had gathered so we had a little listen and then got our bowl of sugar on snow and headed out into the sun to enjoy it.
For sugar on snow (basically a bowl of crushed ice with syrup drizzled over it) the syrup is boiled to a much higher temperature so that as it rapidly cools on teh 'snow' it turns to a chewy, toffee-like consistency.
Tradition says you have to eat a sour pickle with it. Adam wasn't much into that but Jayne quite enjoyed it!
Before leaving we had a little sneaky look inside their distribution center, cunningly designed and built to look like an old red barn.
We needed to stop for fuel and found this quirky little place on the way back - just like the old gas stations you see in films, where the pumps are actually attached to the building, with the obligatory big ice bin on the side too.
We also came across another covered bridge and of course had to get the inevitable photos going over it...
We sent Safi on ahead to make sure it was sound!? ;) Awwww - she looks like 'The Littlest Hobo'... well kinda. Do you remember that kids TV programme from the 70's/80's?
The end.
Thankfully, no more sugar shacks to visit... til next time!
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