Beautiful mother carya, this shagbark hickory is in a frost pocket dooryard location here in zone 4.
Hicory Bark Syrup
by Jesse Stevens, December 2019
I made hickory bark syrup this season for the first time, came out nicely with a lingering complex flavor. Used about ½ lb. of shagbark hickory bark per quart. Cleaned bark with a wire brush and washed with water, broke it into 2-6” pieces, toasted in oven at 350 F for 30 min, put in kettle added water to cover and simmered for 30 min, strained off water and added equal volume of sugar, cooked until 220F and bottled.
Next up, hickory nut ‘milk’….
Lucky Pitman adds:
I make my hickory syrup from nut shells after picking out the nutmeats from shagbark & shellbark nuts, with a few husks tossed in to add darker color.
Boil ’em all day, strain the liquor, add 1.5 cup sugar per cup liquor, cook down to your desired thickness, and pour into canning jars.
This shagbark hickory nut haul comes from a beautiful door yard specimen nearby. The nuts are the sweetest, flavored like pecan with maple glaze. – Jesse Stevens
