Never Too Late for Maple Syrup-2

Ahhh...maple syrup what could be more New England, huh? During the Civil War maple syrup was used as an alternative to sugar since sugar was produced in the Southern States. Now it would be a challenge to do that on a regular basis since the costs for maple syrup are currently much higher than that of sugar, (Chris in the about video clearly demonstrates why) but perhaps we should use it more often. It really is our local specialty and perhaps if becomes more and more popular, business opportunities will be taken by more and more folks and we get the benefit of having more full growth maple trees in our environment. Oh...I digress a bit.

I didn't get a tour of a maple sugaring operation this year...O.K., I have never been on a tour...but I so wanted to and we even made a tour reservation. However, a certain small child decided to come down with a 104 degree fever on our tour day:( Poor guy...much recovered now.
Our loss will be your gain, since I needed to find out where I could by local fresh maple syrup. We are very lucky that a family got a maple bug right next door in North Andover. Turtle Lane Maple Farm collects maple sap from trees in the town forest and built a boiling "shack" right behind their house. They are selling their syrup at Ryer's Country Store in North Reading and the Country Store on 114 in North Andover on the Middleton line. Also you can contact them and buy direct from the source. They use beautiful glass bottles shaped in a maple leaf so the questions of plastic safety is not even an issue. Best of all it really is the best I have ever had!

Also Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary has an ample supply (in glass bottles FYI) for sale in their gift shop. The sanctuary has many sugar maple trees and gives tours for families during February and March. So if you are in need of a great weekend activity take a walk through the woods and pick up a bottle or two on your way out.

Their are many other maple farms in Massachusetts and each gives an opportunity to taste a bit of sustainable living. Many farmers markets will be starting in June and maple products usually sold.

Finally, there are some minerals and amino acids contained in maple syrup that just don't appear in refined sugars. So perhaps one can say the maple syrup is a health food? Well, I guess that may be a stretch, but this weekend I am determined to make something tasty with my syrup. I will check out some recipes and see what I can come up with.

Next year...I'm tapping in!

Sweet.