Channeling the ancestors....or hickory syrup in 5 easy steps.

Not having enough to do, I set out to find something else with which to entertain my ever-curious peabrain.  Those dang ancestral parts of my DNA surface every now and then and just won't shush until I've satisfied a hankerin' (SEE!! I told you they surface), to re-create some ancient recipe or some-such. This time, the idea of making hickory syrup took hold. My son had purchased a tiny, sample-sized  bottle of it somewhere, and said he liked it. He got his father to taste it, and he liked it, too.  That's all it took. The challenge was on. First up, I had to do a little research on how to begin. I had no idea such a product was even out there. I need to get out more. Once I deduced that this syrup was a product of the bark, and not the sap like with maple syrup, I set out to traipsin' over yonder and found a shagbark hickory tree. Between what had newly fallen on the ground and a couple of pieces I plucked from the trunk, I came home with plenty of bark. Unwashed, it looked like this:

The instructions  were to wash this with a stiff brush under running water, which I did. This gets rid of any pests which may be hiding in cracks and crevises, dirt, and such.  The next step was to put it in an oven at 350 Degrees for approx. 15 minutes.  The bark turns a golden brown, and makes the house smell so much like a fall campfire. I loved that part. Once it's roasted, it looks like this:

It really does smell nice and looks good, too.  The next step was to break this up into smaller pieces, measure out a half pound of it, and place it in a saucepan, with water to cover. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer it for around 25 minutes. Strain this, saving the bark for your next cookout, or just pitching it.  Put the hickory tea back in the pan, then simmer more until it's been reduced by about 25%.

Now, pour the tea into a measuring cup and using a 2-1 ratio, add cane or pure sugar to the mix. I had some pure raw sugar from Beachy's in Arthur, so that's what I used. It's naturally brown.  I had a bit over 1 cup of tea after the reduction, so I added two cups of the sugar.

Now you just boil this until it has turned into hickory syrup. Stir often and as it starts to thicken, stir it all the time, so it doesn't scorch.  There you have it....your own hickory syrup.

I started with one cup of hickory tea and added the two cups of sugar. After cooking for 15-20 minutes, I ended up with 2 cups of syrup.  It's very sweet, like any syrup, but has that smoky, woodsy flavor unique to hickory.  Use it like you would any syrup; over pancakes, in baking, or in a glass over ice, with selzer water and a splash of real vanilla extract. mmmmm.

Ok, now that that's over, I'm off to have a talk with my ancestors. They're driving me nuts. LOL
Walk in the woods blessings,
Brenda