Backpack to Buggy

About 15 minutes outside of Brattleboro, VT, Dwight Miller & Son Orchards has been tapping sugar maples since before Vermont was a state.  The claim to be the first white men in Vermont to tap sugar, may be supported by the eight plus generations of this family farming the land and tapping their sugar bush.  Eight generations also means that this family knows sugaring and is a wealth of information if you want to learn about the sugaring process.

While we didn’t know either when we stopped by during the 2010 Vermont Maple Open House Weekend, we walked away with hands on sugaring experience, a peck of organic empire apples, a couple of bottles of organic, unfiltered apple cider vinegar, and three bottles of different grade organic maple syrup.

Maple syrup bottling operation (very big 'pot' on stove with bottles.)

Read Miller, who currently runs the farm with his family, shared the history of the farm, explained the sugaring process to visitors, and even brought us down to tap a tree.  His wife was also in the sugar shack bottling and labeling the latest batch of syrup. The informality of the open house allowed visitors to ask lots of questions.

The Miller’s sugar shack/farm store was filled with historical pictures and maps of the farm, but heading out to tap of tree was my favorite part of the day.  With a cordless drill, small metal tap, a mallet and bucket, we walked down the lane to a sugar maple.  One of the visitors drilled a hole and pounded in the tap, basically a 3/4 inch wide metal pipe with a hook on the underside.  The bucket was hung from the hook on the tap and the maple sap began to run from the tree like a steadily leaking faucet.

Maple sap running through the vacuum tubes in the sugar bush.

Nothing like the syrup you put in your pancakes (and oatmeal, fish, roast veggies, cheese, apple pie, and more) the sap is like a maple-flavored sugar water.  We were able to dip our finger in the catch bucket to taste. It’s only after hours of boiling to remove the water through evaporation that the sap thickens to what most of us are used to. It was surprising how much sap came out of the tap in just a short period and a tree can produce up to 3 gallons of sap in one day.  Good thing as it take 40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of maple syrup.

For more info, including farmers markets and visiting opportunities, check out Dwight Miller & Son Orchards website http://www.vtfarmorg.com/.

I expected brutal winters when I moved to New England two years ago, but my first winter was much milder than I expected and I figured I overreacted, right? Payback is a dog’s mother because this winter has been brutal with one or two snow days a week through January, ice storms, arctic temperatures and zero budget for a sunny getaway (the thoughtfully paid price of that trip of a lifetime to India.) February and March have teased us with a couple of warm days quickly forgotten with high winds, more ice and single digit temperatures.

So for our (wish it were) Spring Break this year, I am embracing with mitten enclosed hands, the two good great things about this winter: maple syrup and skiing. We’re heading north to Vermont to enjoy the 2011 Vermont Maple Open House Weekend, March 19-20, then joining Smugglers’ Notch for a few days to see if the #1 Family Ski Resort can teach my daughter and husband to ski.

Maple Syrup Wood Fired Evaporator

Maple syrup is made from boiling down the sap of the sugar maple tree. The sap of the sugar maple runs when temperatures alternate between below and above freezing, usually night and day.  The cold weather we lacked last year combined with the teasing warm days are making for a great season once maple farmers can trudge through the snow to tap their trees.

Snowless Maple Tapping

Due to the mild winter last year, I missed out on the regional treat, sugar on snow, and hope to make up for it this snowy winter. I’m also planning on including some cheese, ice cream, and wine tasting along with the maple syrup (these are often combined in Vermont to my taste buds’ great joy.)

While it will be work for me (you can read about it later this month,) Smugglers’ Notch will be hosting me and my family for a few days, so, we will finish our Maple Open House Weekend at Smuggs. After Mirielle’s first experience on skis, I’ve been hesitant to get her back to the slopes for fear I’ll put her off skiing completely.

Mirielle's first run at 2 years old

With age-specific programs, instructors who know how to teach kids to ski, a cohort of similarly aged new skiers to learn with, and lots of non-skiing activities to entertain, Smugglers’ Notch’s children’s ski programs should get Mirielle on skis, down the slope, and very excited to go back again and again.  Passing her dad on the bunny slope as he skis for the first time may help too. (“No daddy, bend your knees this way, daddy.”)

MeiMei charging right through our New England winter.

Sure, some families are seeking sun and warmth for Spring Break.  As we rebuild our travel fund, we’re embracing lower cost, regional getaways for weekend breaks.  Mother Nature has given us a brutal winter, so we’re escaping to the warmth of sugar shacks boiling maple and will be sinking our skis in the powder soft snow.

After visiting the Red Fort, we wandered the narrow streets of Shahjahanabad, or Old Delhi looking for Karim’s and Jama Masjid.  Like old cities anywhere it went from crowded and chaotic to quiet down the bend of an alley. There were rotting buildings, sewage in the streets and piles of trash associated with a third world city, but up close some buildings were hundreds of years old, and the garbage was pushed off to the walls of the alleys.

Exploring back streets in Shahjahanabad, Old Delhi

A man and his dog, Shahjahanabad, Old Delhi

Beds of ladders, shutters & doors, Shahjahanabad, Old Delhi

Homes of Shahjahanabad, Old Delhi

Shahjahanabad, Old Delhi, at night

Chaat in Shahjahanabad, Old Delhi

The Tree of Life Guest House, was the perfect place for our family to spend our first few nights in Delhi and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a quiet, convenient place to stay in Delhi at a reasonable price.

View from our balcony at Tree of Life guest house in Delhi.

After much consideration, I decided our first lodging in India should be a guest house where interaction with a local host could help us transition to spending the next few weeks in India as well as navigating Delhi. At the same time, I wanted to make sure we had some privacy and a comfortable place to relax as our body clocks were half a day off.

The clean, comfortable bed at Tree of Life guest house helped with jet lag.

The Tree of Life Guest House is in a quiet (as quiet as Delhi gets, I suppose) neighborhood within an easy walk to the Metro, taxis, auto rickshaws, shopping, and a small park. Some of south Delhi’s biggest malls are only a 5 minute autorickshaw ride away.  The 10 minute walk to the recently opened Delhi Metro Station made the location a HUGE winner as we could get to most of the places we wanted to go, cheaply and without worrying about traffic.

En suite bathroom with shower.

Our room was large, modern and included an en suite bathroom.  There were a couple of chairs, though a common living room area is also available, lots of closet and storage space, air conditioning, LCD TV, and a bathroom with shower.  The room was clean and comfortable and was a great place to recover from jet lag.  (It probably was quiet too, but Diwali firecrackers went from dusk until 3 or 4 am.)

Tree of Life guest house exterior decorated for Diwali.

Included in the room price is breakfast, which was essentially made to order.  Krishna was very kind to Mirielle and brought her Chocos, India’s Cocoa Krispies.  (Hey, it’s vacation right?)  Other meals can be arranged for a reasonable charge.

FInishing up our made-to-order breakfast at Tree of Life guest house.

High speed internet is available via a shared terminal, though I disconnected the cable to use my net book without any trouble.

While we had plenty of privacy and schedule flexibility staying at Tree of Life. We also were able to enjoy the company and knowledge of proprietor Ashwani and his family.  They invited us to share dinner on Diwali (we had already eaten), took us to the roof to watch fireworks around the city and gave us sweets (which I proceed to leave behind on the roof – jet lag sucks).  With daily visits, we were able to ask a Delhi-walla’s advice and Ashwani took the time to help us list out things to see and do (plus he recommended some great eats.)

Tree of Life: http://www.tree-of-life.in/ Saket, Delhi, Metro: Malviya Nagar. <US$100.

The alley at the heart of Karim's, Old Delhi.

Sometimes, a restaurant or hotel travel guides gush over, really is all that. Not often, but Karim’s, a 100 year old restaurant in an back alley in Shahjahanabad (Old Delhi,) lives up to the hype. Weaving through alleys to get there, cramped linoleum tables, multiple dining rooms, kitchens open to the alley where the staff’s motorbikes park, low ceilings, no silverware, and lots and lots of people definitely made for a “you’re in India” experience. The delicious food was a “you’re in India” experience, too (and that’s really good in my book.)

Roti & Kebabs at Karim's in Old Delhi.

Our host at the Tree of Life guest house, Ashwani, recommended the Chicken Noorjahani and Tandoori Roti.  They were out of the Chicken Noorjahani, so we asked out waiter to suggest an alternative.  We also ordered kebabs under the impression that it would be Mirielle friendly hot-pepper free. along with Pepsi and Tandoori Roti.

Karim's Chicken Masala

The food was ugly, but sooooo good.  That mud pictured above (Akbari Murgh Masala) was a spicy, aromatic sauce held together by a little chicken and made a tasty dipping sauce for the Roti. In India, unlike Indian restaurants in the U.S., hot pepper is added to everything including kebabs, so our ground lamb patties had a savory kick that sent me over the moon, but left Mirielle on a diet of bread and water. The soda served was from a fountain so we learned to specify canned soda in the future so we wouldn’t have concerns about the water.

The Tandoori oven at the heart of Karim's, Old Delhi.

For all the write-ups Karim’s gets in North American and European tour books, there were few tourists. The table to one side of us was a group of what looked like university students.  On the other side were three families dining together, women in hijabs, men with taqiyah, and kids as rowdy as my own.  (It’s so refreshing to see that pre-schooler squirminess knows few ethnic, cultural, religious, or gender boundaries.)

A snapshot of Delhi-wallas at Karim's.

Karim’s. Jama Masjid, Gali Kababian, Old Delhi, India. Phone: +91-11-23269880.