About twenty years ago, I belonged to a group that owned a sugar bush. It was about two hours northwest of Toronto. During March, when the sap usually starts running, I’d go and help out in the bush. Mostly, the group would sell the syrup to raise money.
But not all was sold, as you might guess. There were always plenty of pancakes and sausage and bacon for us, all of which would be covered in the fresh maple syrup we had made. Mmm! And some of us would even use it as a sweetener for our coffee. It made for an elusive sweet coffee taste. Of course, some bottles and/or jars of the stuff were available for us to take home too.
It’s been years since I’ve had maple syrup fresh from the sugar bush. Sorry, Aunt Jemima–I’ll use you if I have to, but you just can’t compare.
Enjoy your maple syrup, people. I read that , because the climate is warming, the trees aren’t getting the cold they require during winter and are giving less sap. The syrup is going to get more expensive. Perhaps they should start planting maple trees further north…
Not just maple cookes, maple donuts, and maple on pancakes.
I use maple syrup in vinaigrette. This week’s vinaigrette has maple syrup, salt & pepper, rice vinegar, grapefruit juice and olive oil. (The salad has greens, red bell pepper, avocado, grapefruit and sunflower seeds.)
