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By Daniel McGonigle
Argus Managing Editor
The idea stems from a discussion Pastor Lane Zaffke had with a member of his congregation.
Zaffke owns several acres of land near Spring Grove. On his property he has about 12 acres of Maple trees.
Zaffke and the member of his congregation, Roger Meyer, were discussing the process of making maple syrup. That’s when the idea hit: “we could do this as a fund raiser at the church.”
A building was built on Zaffke’s property with materials donated by area businesses.
“All the money raised goes to youth programs here at the church,” said Zaffke.
Zaffke set out to recruit members of his congregation to help in the endeavor.
“It’s great fellowship time,” he said of the two-birds, one stone.
Syrup flows like a river
The Cross of Christ Church in Houston has been collecting, making, bottling and selling syrup now for four years. Each year they refine and perfect the process a little more.
“The syrup at the end of a season is usually a little more tart and has more a bitter taste,” said Zaffke.
Conditions must be just right.
The congregation at Cross of Christ in Houston donates their time each year to collect, filter and package the sticky goodness. Photo submitted
“It has to drop below freezing at night and get above 50 degrees during the day,” said Zaffke. “Usually sometime in March for a 12 or 13 day stretch conditions are just right for collecting sap. March is the biggest month. It can sometimes go into April.”
Zaffke said that volunteers from the church partake in the process of collecting the syrup and that those volunteers also helped build and supply the materials needed for the procedure. Congregation members built evaporator pans out of an old bulk tank, they built the “Sugar Shack” located near the trees.
“All of the materials used are homemade using just the skills of the people of the church,” said Zaffke. “We use old milk bulk tanks provided by the church members.”
In fact, they’re actually looking for one more of those items.
The first year the congregation collected the sap and made syrup they made 30 gallons. Year number two, they had 17 gallons made in January alone.
“That was a real fluke,” said Zaffke. “Normally, for syrup to flow, conditions have to be just right. You’re not going to see that in January in Minnesota too often. The sap is very temperamental.”
That season, the congregation made 96 gallons of syrup that they were able to sell.
This year, they’re out of syrup from the 2007 season.
“We have some set aside for the pancake breakfast (which will take place on March 1),” said Zaffke. “We unfortunately won’t have any syrup to sell at it.”
When this reporter was given the chance at a spoonful he jumped willingly into the sticky goodness. The nutty oak flavor surrounded with just the right amount of sugar made this reporters taste buds dance with glee.
“It’s pretty good,” said Zaffke. “Once people try some they have a hard time going back to the processed store-bought corn syrup stuff that’s sold.”
Going to a good cause
The money raised from the sale of the syrup provides the youth of the church with the opportunity to travel to places like Tanzania, the ELCA convention most recently held in San Antonio Texas, and to help victims of Katrina in New Orleans, among other things.
“It is $10 a pint,” said Zaffke. “All $10 of it goes to our youth.”
Collection isn’t the only part of the process
Both the men and the women of the church contribute to the collection, creation and selling of the sweetness.
Collection begins when conditions are right, again, usually in March.
Once collected the process of boiling the sap and filtering it and canning it can begin.
“It’s a process,” said Zaffke, who admits the church is still learning the best procedures. “We’ve had four years to learn from our mistakes.”
Zaffke said they don’t “tap out” the trees. They don’t push them too hard and only take the sap that they need and can use.
Over the 12 acres, the church has 370 taps, some collecting the sap in buckets, others utilizing a hose.
A dozen or so men from the church get out their cordless drills and insert the taps to get the whole thing moving.
“The best time for the sap to flow is a two or three hour window in the morning,” said Zaffke.
When it comes to boiling the collected sap, they do so 24 hours a day for several days in a row.
“We boil all night,” said Zaffke.
On the weekends the youth from the church come out to help their own cause.
“They are pretty busy during the week with school and sports,” said Zaffke. “But on the weekends, the kids come out and do the work.”
Oh, and on Sunday’s
Of course, Cross of Christ promises more than just “A Taste of Heaven,” as their label says on the syrup. Sunday morning service is at 9:30 a.m. with Sunday School taking place at 10:30 a.m.
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