Cameron County Farmers Market
Today we are very excited to introduce a new vendor to the market, Tom Spolski with Spolski Maple!
Tom has been making maple syrup for the last 13 years and has perfected the art, producing a delicious syrup right here in Cameron County. Even though he runs a big operation, tapping 460 soft maple trees in 3 different locations including Hunts Run, he is a one man show, doing all the work himself. He did introduce a tubing system several years ago which greatly cuts down on the sap collection part of the job but it is still a very impressive feat to manage all this by himself. But, as he says himself, he has his system all worked out and any help would just get in the way of him doing his job efficiently, lol!
After he collects the sap from the trees Tom runs it through a Reverse Osmosis machine that takes out 60-80% of the water. This greatly reduces the time needed in the next step, which is heating the sap until the majority of the water has evaporated off and he is left with the thick syrup he is striving for. He runs this through a filter press to take out any sand and debris after which he is ready to bottle it. The end product is a deliciously sweet syrup, at just the right consistency for serving on pancakes, in drinks, in baking or there are a multitude of other ways to consume it!
As well as regular maple syrup, Tom also makes cinnamon maple syrup, a scrumptious twist on the original flavor. My personal favorite has to be his maple mustard though, great for spreading on sandwiches or adding to a home-made salad dressing. It has a unique taste that will complement many dishes to give it that extra special flavor!
You will find Tom at our first market of the season on Saturday, May 11th, at the Emporium Town Square, 9am to 12pm so be sure to stop by to say hello to our newest vendor and pick up some local sweetness for yourself!
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