MONTEREY SYRUP FESTIVAL

[shoresr]

I thought you had to go to Vermont to get Maple Syrup !!! But, of course, I am from KANSAS

John O. found and led us to the Highland County Maple Festival in Monterey, VA. We had a wonderful day. John had planned a beautiful ride through West Virgina where we saw a valleys full of farms and rivers, and more baby calves and lambs

We arrived at Monterery just at lunch time. The town was alive with all the activities. John hurried off to get the three dozen doughnuts he was taking home to the grandkids and also ended up with a monster bags of pork rinds and kettle korn. We now know why John wanted to go to Monterery. Before we left, the pork rinds had soldout and closed, and the doughnut tent had to restock 3 times.

While John was buying everything he sight, Tom went to the HIGH Restaurant and secured a table for us. The HIGH restaurant handled the masses just fine. The meatloaf dinner was enough to feed us all.

YUM YUM

Welcome y 'all

Nancy & Alan

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John, Tom, Melissa & Roger

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We all rang the BELL when we left !

The two block area that made up downtown Monterey was full vendors selling everything you can imagine. Melissa needed a break, so she rested on the very comfortable chairs, crafted from used whiskey barrels.

By this time is was getting late so we had to head home. As you can see from the brochure there are 10 sugar orchards listed on the farm tour. We picked Puffenbarger's Sugar Orchard to stop at on our way home.

See the tubing running between all the trees? miles of it

Some of the stainless steel tanks. Off of site is the 1st tank which hold 3000 gallons!!!

I was under the misconception that to get maple syrup you tapped the tree and the syrup ran into the bucket hanging below the tap.
Boy does that show my ignorance of Maple Syrup production. I

At this location Mr Puffenbarger had 700 maple trees!! At another location he had 1000 maple trees!! All the taps have plastic tubing which sends the "soon to be syrup" to a building full of large stainless steels tanks for processing. I was just starting to get the story of LONG process of how the sap is changed to syrup when the group drug me off to go home. I will return when I have more time.


Consumer's guide to Maple Syrup
https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/anr-101

Consumers are more conscious of how and where their food is produced. Increasingly they are demanding nutritious and healthy food products for their families. In a world of processed food, it is refreshing to find a product like maple syrup that not only tastes good but is good for you. In a comparison of the nutritional value of pure maple syrup to other popular sweeteners, pure maple syrup has more beneficial minerals and vitamins. Independent nutritional studies have labeled maple syrup as a super food. These studies have found that it not only has valuable minerals and vitamins, but it also has antioxidants that are beneficial to health and wellness. No matter if it is light and delicate or dark and robust, 100% pure maple syrup is the healthy all-natural choice.

I think you can tell I really enjoyed myself and so did Melissa. Good ride, good food, fun event and good friends. Thanks John.