The Taste of Local Maple Syrup

This week is practically Balmy outside!!! I love it but it is a bit worrisome since it is 15 degrees and it's only the end of February. This warm weather system sent the local Maple Syrup producers into overdrive getting everything prepared for an early syrup season. Ideal temperatures are thawing in the daytime and freezing at night. Let's hope for a long and steady Maple Syrup season.

Maple Syrup is a great natural sweetener in salads, entrees, and desserts, plus it just makes everything so very tasty. It features 54 different antioxidents (the darker the syrup the higher the antioxidents). It also contains a significant amount of calcium, trace B vitamins, and is a good source of 3 essential elements: calcium, iron and thiamin.

We really appreciate all the time it takes for the producers to make this tasty liquid gold. Remember that it takes 30-40 gallons of sap to produce a gallon of Maple Syrup.

I was digging around in some old recipes and thought it would be fun for people to have glimpse into the past. It is interesting to see how measurements were way back when. I know from looking at some of my grandmother's recipes that none were very exact. It was a pinch of this and a handful of that. Some of the recipes were even missing sections, and if you followed them exactly, you were in trouble. I think my grandmother just made it up as she went along. However she did it, I could not wait to visit and sample her desserts – especially all those sweetened with Maple Syrup, and there were a lot.

Here is a recipe from The Every Day Cookbook, circa 1890.

Flannel Cakes

Beat 6 eggs very light, stir in them 2 lb of flour, one gill of yeast, small spoonful of salt and sufficiant milk to make a thick batter. Make them at night for breakfast, and at ten in the morning for tea.

Have your griddle hot, grease it well and bake as buckwheat. Butter and send them hot to the table, commencing after the family has been seated.

​Have a jug of Maple Syrup on hand at the table for easy access, Pour over the flannel cakes as you wish.

Our ingredient list has been added to the original:

Eggs – Beking's
Flour – Ironwood Organics
Yeast
Salt
Butter – Empire Cheese Company
Maple Syrup – Gunnebrooke Farm, Antoine Farm

Notice, not a lot of details about amounts or technique in these old recipes. This shows that cooking was a daily thing and that you just went by instinct on what the consistancy was for a lot of things.

At Furnace Falls Farm we will be introducing people to some of these old tried and true recipes. Perhaps we can even help you with some of those old time recipes that don't have a lot of instructions, and help you make it LIKE GRANDMA.

Have a Great Week.

Rick & Wendy & Leigha
Thanks for supporting Local Producers.

Visit us at the market.
We're open Thursday through Saturday 11 am – 6 pm, Sunday 'til 5 pm

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