Maple Sugar and Maple Syrup

[BakerAunt]

I recommend this one: https://www.tastecooking.com/the-buttermilk-bread-miracle-dough/

Be aware that the loaf is a bit large in the 9x5 pan. I might try it in a 10x5 pan.

[skeptic7]

Thanks for the recommendations. I remember the buttermilk bread from several months ago. I thought it used too much maple syrup to be worth trying as I was hoarding my maple syrup then.

[chocomouse]

Hi Skeptic! I hope you like our syrup, and am eager to hear what think about it. Yes, it will keep indefinitely, although most retailers say it should be used within 2 years. My husband recommends storing it in a cool, dark space, so your basement would be a good spot for it long-term. OF course, once opened, it needs to be refrigerated.

If you are looking for recipes, here's my recipe for Maple Vinaigrette: 1/4 cup maple syrup, 1/4 cup cider vinegar, 3/4 cup oil, 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, salt, pepper. You can add whatever additional herbs/spices you like to it.

Use your favorite cheesecake recipe for a delicate maple flavor. Just sub in maple syrup for the sugar, using the same amount, usually around 3/4 - 1 cup per recipe that calls for 4 eggs, 4 8-ounce cream cheese blocks, etc. And a drizzle of syrup when serving just takes it over the top! Do the same substitution for scones, and when the scones are hot out of the oven, brush them with syrup. I find the 1:1 substitution generally works fine. If I use it in bread, I use 2 tablespoons, but that does not add much flavor. I'm thinking about trying a maple pecan pie for Thanksgiving dinner. I'm not sure even my husband is going to want that, although pecan pie is his most favorite dessert!

[cwcdesign]

Hi chocomouse!
I'm so excited - I have sent an email re: the maple syrup - it's so hard to find good syrup down here.

Just an FYI regarding payments - I have a Square Up account that I can use for online payments with credit cards - they do take a small percentage, but it was a great help when I was doing craft shows and sending art work to other people. Your husband/son might want to look into it as another option.

[cwcdesign]

Chocomouse - I got the email yesterday that my syrup is on the way - so excited. Thank you for posting about this!

[kimbob]

Would love some, too, if any is left. I use only grade b which has been harder to find here lately. I sent an email. Thanks so much, chocomouse!

[chocomouse]

cwc, I thought I posted a message to you soon after you posted, but I cannot find it now. Yes, I love Square, and use it in my sister's business - not only for processing payment but also for inventory, sales highs and lows, etc. For some reason, my husband no longer uses it, I don't know why. I hope you like the syrup. Let us know when you receive it, and how you use it. Yesterday I made maple cornbread, being a southern gal, I guess you probably don't use syrup (or sugar!) in yours. I thought it was a bit too sweet.

Kimbob, yours is on the way. You probably can't find Grade B syrup because the International Syrup Institute (not sure that is exactly the wording) and the USDA in 2015 changed the syrup grading system, and there is no longer a Grade B. It is all described by it's color and taste, and is all Grade A, except for the processing (commercial) syrup. What was B is now Grade A Amber - dark color, robust taste. So look for that labeling.

[kimbob]

Hey, chocomouse! As they say, the check is in the mail. Lol. Yeah, I do know there is no grade b anymore. Last year the farmers market person told me that. Duh. I still call it grade b. Anyway, there's a lot of amber here but not so much A dark robust. I'm currently using my last one so I was thrilled to see your post. Again, thanks alot!! We had pancakes for dinner a couple days ago. Always a fun meal. I put it on my ice cream, too.

[chocomouse]

kimbob, most people around here still call it B also! And that is the grade most Vermonters use. We sometimes have blueberry pancakes and sausages for dinner. My Mom used to put a slice of bread in a bowl and pour syrup over it -- and then eat it!! I have to admit that I don't care for maple syrup, it's way too sweet. But I do appreciate the subtle flavor it lends to baked goods.

[cwcdesign]

Oh, chocomouse I’m a New Englander from way back when! I just happen to live in the South now. I bake my cornbread with sugar or honey but I think I’ll use maple syrup in my next batch.

I even lived in Warren for a year after college - we had a ski house there and I did my ski bum thing - worked in reservations at the Sugarbush Inn - my first job and I wasn’t very good at it. Now all these years later I’m back in hospitality.

[Mike Nolan]

I still see maple syrup labeled as grade B here in Nebraska, too. This was a case of government taking action that wasn't necessary, IMHO.

[BakerAunt]

Some people saw "Grade B" and assumed it was not as good--more for the rest of us who know how good it is!

[chocomouse]

The new grading system was actually initiated by maple sugarers, with the intention of standardizing the grades. I'm not so sure it worked, it's very vague wording, like what is "robust" or "delicate"? Reputable syrup producers use grading kits to compare their syrups. These are tiny glass bottles of syrup in wood frames, and when held up to the light next to a sample bottle of newly made syrup, the color differences show up nicely and the new syrup can be more accurately labeled. Taste, of course, is still up to the taste-tester! I think as producers and users get used to the new wording, we will stop using the "B" word; but centuries old habits die slowly.

[skeptic7]

Chocomouse;
I've got instructions from your husband on sealing maple syrup in glass canning jars. I'm going to try this sometime after the holidays. It looks very easy. Soak and boil the jars, heat the maple syrup very hot using a candy thermometer to make sure it gets the correct temperature, then put the syrup in the jars, and put a lid on them. This doesn't need to be heat in a hot water bath to seal. Have you tried it? Should I buy a metal canning funnel? My current one is plastic. I would probably use wide mouth pint jars.

[RiversideLen]

Amber, dark, light, robust I've never had a maple syrup that I didn't like. Each style is different, but all are good.

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