http://davescupboard.blogspot.com/2011/01/making-shagbark-hickorysyrup.

html Making Shagbark Hickory Syrup

Shagbark Hickories are easily distinguishable by their sheddy-looking bark.

A couple of years ago, I started hearing about shagbark hickory syrup. Unlike maple syrup, which is made by boiling down the collected sap of the sugar maple tree, hickory syrup is made by extracting flavor compounds from the bark of the shagbark hickory tree and simmering it with sugar to create a syrup. I had an old recipe for it, sort of, written down from my great-grandmother from her childhood memories. It was one of those "family lore" things that I had folded aside in an old photo album and pretty much forgot about until the commercial syrup caught my eye. here are two commercial producers of shagbark syrup that I know of. !ne is "ickoryworks in Indiana, and the other is urkeywoods #arm in $ystic % . &oth of them talk about secret extractive and aging processes and make it sound like you need a degree in food science with a side in alchemy to make tree-flavored simple syrup. I guess if I were selling syrup for '() a *uart, I+d want to make it seem as difficult as possible too, ,ust to keep people from trying to make their own. In truth, a little trial-and-error experimentation is all I really needed to develop an easy recipe for shagbark hickory syrup, which I+m going to share with you right here. -pecial thanks go out to .ary &lake in !hio. /hen I was having trouble finding a local source of bark, he sent me out a care package. /e compared our old family recipes and swapped notes as we made sample batches of syrup - he in !hio and I in %onnecticut - until we got something we thought was acceptable. Step 1: -tart by collecting some strips of shagbark hickory bark. he shagbark hickory is easy to identify because of the "hairy" or shaggy appearance of the trunk. he bark is continually coming loose in long strips as the tree grows. aking very loose pieces of bark from the trunk will not harm the tree, though you should be careful not to remove bark that is still tightly attached because doing so will leave the tree vulnerable to insect damage. If possible, gather newly fallen bark from the ground.

Step 2: ake about half a pound of bark strips and scrub them well under cool running water with a stiff brush. 0on+t use any soap or detergent, ,ust the brush to remove dirt, sand, lichens, insects, and so on. /hen well-scrubbed, the outside surface of the bark is a light grey tending toward greenish, and the inside surface is reddish-brown.

Step : 1reheat the oven to (2) #. &reak the scrubbed bark into manageable pieces, say 3 inches long or so, put them on a baking sheet, and slide them into the oven to toast. 4I like to use a perforated baking pan that lets moisture out the bottom, but you can use a cookie sheet or roasting pan.5 6ou should shake any excess water off the bark before putting it in the oven, but it doesn+t have to be thoroughly dried. It takes about 7) or 72 minutes to toast the bark. After a few minutes, you+ll start to smell the delicious odor of hickory seasoning - a little smoky, a little "spicy." 8eep an eye on it and you+ll notice that the bark will start taking on a gentle golden-brown tone. /atch it carefully and don+t let the bark burn - charred bits will give the syrup an unpleasant burnt and ashy flavor. Step !: /hen the bark is toasted, take it out of the oven and allow them to cool enough to handle. In the original recipes that .ary and I were working from, we were told to cover the bark with water and simmer for 9) to 92 minutes until we had a dark amber "tea" made from the bark. 4-immering rather than boiling is important because rough treatment like boiling extracts lots of bitter tannins from the bark as well as the flavor components that you+re actually looking for.5 /e thought that the "aging" process spoken of by the commercial processors was a method of mellowing out the bitterness inherent in making the hickory extract. /e also found that reducing the volume of li*uid by 92: by continuing to simmer after removing the bark resulted in a richer, more pronounced flavor in the final product. o continue using the method .ary and I hammered out, go to Step "a. o continue using an alternative method using a percolator, skip 2a and go to Step "b. Step "a: 1lace the toasted bark pieces in a saucepan and cover with water. &ring the water to a boil and immediately turn it down to a simmer. -immer the bark gently for about 92 minutes until the water is deep amber in color. ;emove the bark from the li*uid and discard 4or save it for tossing on the barbecue coals.5 %ontinue simmering the water until the volume is reduced by about 92:. #ontinue to Step $.

Step "b: &reak the toasted bark pieces into bits small enough to fit in the basket of a large percolator. 4I use a big (<-cup coffee urn that I bought at a church rummage sale for five dollars.5 #ill the percolator with water and run the coffee maker through a full perc cycle. Allow the percolated li*uid to cool to room temperature, then plug the percolator in again and run through another full percolator cycle. Again, allow the percolator to cool completely. 0o this at least twice more for a total of four full percolator cycles. his will not only give you a thorough extraction of the flavor compounds in the bark, but during the multiple perking cycles ,ust about the right amount of water evaporates off. After the multiple percolations, remove the bark from the percolator basket and discard 4or save it for tossing on the barbecue coals.5 #ontinue to Step $.

Step $: $easure the extract water into a stockpot or saucepan large enough to accomodate it. "eat the water over a medium fire to bring it up to a simmer. -tir cane sugar into the water in a 9-parts-sugar to 7-part-water ratio, the same as for simple syrup. -immer and stir until the syrup thickens to the right consistency. Allow the syrup to cool until you can handle it comfortably.

Step %: /hen the syrup has cooled, ladle it off into bottles for storage. his year at %hristmas I made a big batch and poured the syrup off into plastic 1oland -prings A*uapod bottles, which have a very cool shape 4I used the water inside the bottles to make the syrup itself. ap water works ,ust as well. I ,ust wanted to use the bottles so I could give the bottled syrup as gifts.5 hat is pretty much all there is to making shagbark syrup at home. It+s delicious, and it+s not all that complicated or secret to make. 6ou can use your hickory syrup in any way that you would use maple syrup - on pancakes and waffles and so on, or even as a sweetener when you make a pot of baked beans. =ust remember that that this is one of those "recipes" that will re*uire a little tweaking, experimentation, and intuition on your part. &e willing to play around with the basic information I+ve presented so you can bring out the best results for yourself and you+ll be rewarded with an awesome taste experience.