Kent home prices hit year’s high as sales volume slows
The antique colonial home at 310 South Kent Road — 2,596 square feet with hand-hewn beams and a three-car garage — sold for $540,000. Photo by Christine Bates.
Christine Bates
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Jody Bronson (standing) and Denny Jacobs discuss all things maple syrup at Maple Fest on Satuday, April 25.
Patrick L. Sullivan
The prime spot to be was near the repurposed oil drum that Denny Jacobs converted into a propane-fueled maple syrup boiler. Using frozen syrup that was about half-finished and left over from the spring’s production, Jacobs had a small saucepan filled with sap handy in case the mixture needed topping up.
As he chatted with fellow syrup maker Jody Bronson – and whoever else wandered by – Jacobs kept a watchful eye on the thermometer in the boiling syrup.
This year, Whiting Brook Farm collected 1,700 gallons of sap and produced 35 gallons of syrup.
Conversation turned to how best to store the finished product before bottling. Bronson said plastic jugs can darken the syrup over time, while glass containers sometimes result in a lighter color. The best containers are made of tin, he said, which have the least impact, though they are no longer common in retail and must be sourced from wholesalers.
Northwest Passage played at Maple Fest in Falls Village Saturday, April 25. From left, Ed Thorney, Greg Reiss, Rachel Gall and Scott Cameron.Patrick L. Sullivan
At the Center on Main, Susan Scherf from the Institute of American Indian Studies in Washington, Connecticut, gave a presentation on how Native Americans used maple sap.
Rather than boiling it into syrup, Scherf said, they produced maple sugar, sometimes mixing it with dried corn for a low-bulk, high-energy snack. Maple sugar could also be used to make alcohol and vinegar.
She added that Native Americans often used containers made of fire-resistant birch bark to boil their sap, and there is archaeological evidence of using a moose hide for the same purpose.
Back on the Green, local band Northwest Passage began playing around 11 a.m., as visitors, many of whom had filled up on pancakes and waffles with real maple syrup at the Falls Village Cafe, lingered in the cool air.
The band consists of Ed Thorney (harmonica, vocals), Rachell Gall aka “The Falls Village Fiddler” on violin and vocals, Greg Reiss on guitar and lead vocals, and Scott Cameron on guitar.
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