Maple Syrup from Annie - Major Surprise!!

15 years ago

Yesterday I arrived home to find a surprise package from Annie on my doorstep - a small box containing a generous pint jar of "Grade B" maple syrup!! She said she remembered that I've never had this - in fact, I've never had maple syrup at all except the very light kind, and it tasted very different. She also said that this came from a local sugarbush (whatever that is), but I don't know who harvested it. I don't even know when maple harvesting season is, since I've never lived anywhere near maple trees, that I know of. MQ once sent me some maple leaves, which I still have, to show me the color they change in autumn.

Kevin said that the syrup Annie sent is worth quite a bit because it is such a large quantity. He had real maple syrup when he lived in Albany, but he said he'd never had any like this. To me, it has a pecan flavor and reminds me of pecan pie or pecan pralines, both of which I love and remind me of my childhood. Kevin is anxious for me to make waffles for the syrup, and so maybe that will happen tomorrow - but at dinner instead of breakfast. I think I would like to make some crÃªpes as well.

Annie suggested that the syrup is good in AnnT's maple fudge, but I don't know if I'm ready for that yet. I like the syrup so much just as it is that I want to wait before using it in a recipe. I think it would be very good in a recipe with pecans because I think it would enhance their flavor, and I wonder if there is a recipe for maple pecan pralines. I would definitely be interested in making something like that. Okay, maybe this recipe might be good. I would leave out the salt, as I do not like salt with sugar.

Thanks so much, Annie, for such a wonderful and unexpected surprise!! It really makes me feel special to receive such a gift from you!

Lars

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Comments (10)

User
15 years ago
OOOH Lars, what a lucky boy you are. That is a great gift from Annie and one I know you and Kevin are going to really enjoy.

Ann
annie1992
15 years ago
Lars, you are so welcome. I just wanted to share what is one of my favorite flavors with you and Kevin.

The syrup came from Cook's Sugarbush, the label is on the lid. A "sugarbush" is a stand of maple trees that the farmers tap for sap. It takes about 10 gallons of sap to boil down into one gallon of syrup. Because sugaring season is usually the end of February/first of March, that is last year's syrup and so I got kind of a "deal". The sap won't run until it gets warmer during the day but stays cold at night, then the farmers "tap" the trees by inserting little tubes into the maple trees and letting the sap drip out into buckets or lines. The sap goes into large pots and gets boiled until it's syrup. The first and lightest syrup is the Grade A stuff, the Grade B is usually only used for cooking. Truthfully, I like the Grade B much better, it's thicker, darker, more maple-y.

I hope you and Kevin enjoy it. I use it in bread and in sweets but I like it best just on pancakes, waffles or hot biscuits, so Kevin is ready to enjoy it just the way I would. Elery likes to use it with some teriyaki kind of sauce to glaze salmon on the grill and that's nice too.

Hugs to you both from Michigan!

Annie
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Lars: Here is a simple recipe using powdered milk. They are really Crispy and Tender. Might be worth a try. Barnmom gave me a tip I tried and worked great. LOUÂS Pancakes and Waffles Recipe 2 Â½ cups milk ( IÂve been using powdered milk) 2 eggs ( separated ) . 1/3 cup of veg. Oil 2 tablespoon of vanilla Italian Pinch of salt Â½ cup Sugar 1 cup of Wheat Flour 4 teaspoons Baking Powder All Purpose flour --------------------------------------------------------------------- Mix Pancake Batter: Put the first 6 ingredients ( except egg whites ) in a mixing bowl and beat until smooth. Put in the Wheat flour, Baking pwd. and some All Purpose flour. Beat until smooth. Add enough flour to thicken slightly, (were it leaves ripples while mixing ) not thin and loose. Beat the egg whites with a teaspoon of sugar, until peaked. Add Â½ the egg whites to the batter and fold in easy. Beat the other Â½ of the whites until very stiff and fold these in also. After the pancakes are cooked, I put plastic in between for freezing. For Waffles: Thicken a little more, to where you have to move it around with a spoon, when it is put on the waffle iron . Then do the egg white thing as in the pancake batter. When baked I cool them fast on a rack and put them in a plastic bag, and right in the freezer. If you overcook a little, dampen slightly with water, before you put them in the toaster oven. As for the waffle iron , I have a very old round one with adjustable heat Range. It makes a waffle about Â½ inch + thickness. For me this is just right, for the amount of butter and syrup that you can put on top. I found a Cuisinart mod.WMR-CA to match my old one. Now I can make Waffles in Stereo I donÂt use the Belgium Waffle Maker ; except when IÂm adding Ice cream and fruit topping , because itÂs too much waffle for the amount of syrup and butter. But may be good for you.! If I want a Belgium Waffle, I just make a double decker and put fruit or whatever filling in between. Then you have more cooked surface area , on the Waffles. Which is where the flavor is ( the cooked surface )
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I love maple and use it in many things. I really like the maple shortbreads and Ann T's maple fudge, and I use maple syrup in my pumpkin pie and drizzle it on sweet potatoes when I bake them and use it on my oatmeal and instead of honey on biscuits. I use it in my maple oatmeal bread too. I use maple syrup a lot, but this recipe is my all time favorite dessert: Individual Maple Pear Cobblers Courtesy of: Rebecca Rather, Chef, Rather Sweet Bakery and Cafe 6 servings 3 pounds pears, peeled, cored, quartered 2/3 cup + 9 tablespoons pure maple syrup 2 tablespoons + 1 1/2 cups flour 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder 9 tablespoons whipping cream melted butter sugar to taste nutmeg to taste For the filling, combine the pears, 2/3 cup syrup, 2 tablespoons flour, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg in a bowl and mix well. Divide evenly among 6 custard cups or soufflé dishes. Place a pat of butter on top of each one. Bake at 425 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes or until heated through. For the topping, place the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg in a food processor. Add 6 tablespoons butter and pulse until fine crumbs form. Add the cream, 9 tablespoons syrup and 1 teaspoon vanilla and process until combined. Drop by spoonfuls onto the hot filling. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar and nutmeg. Bake for 14 minutes or until firm to the touch and golden brown. Annie
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Petra, here Grade B is darker and has a more intense flavor than Grade A. Some like it, some don't. Grandpa told me that the light (grade A) syrup was from the first sap of the season and that the dark (grade B) was from later in the season when there was less sugar in the sap and so it had to be boiled longer to become syrup. I love maple syrup, the real stuff. Right now I have a 64 ounce jug of grade B in the fridge. Yes, it will mold if kept in the cupboard unrefrigerated for too long. I never, ever eat the fake stuff, it's just too icky. My Grandkids love Mrs. Butterworth's though, and don't want the real maple. That's fine, it just leaves more for me, LOL. I like the local maple syrup and when I can't get it locally I order from Cook's Sugarbush, in southern Michigan. I think it's somewhere around Sherry's and I can get a 64 ounce jug for $26 plus shipping but it lasts me a long, long time. I love waffles and pancakes, and if I make a batch, I put some in the freezer so I can just grab a package and have them whenever I want them. Annie Here is a link that might be useful: Cook's Sugar bush
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Terri, mine took a long time to cook down also, and in the future I'd puree them first, rather than just roughly chop in the fp. I have very dark butter but it is gooood. And yes, I had some that stayed really firm for a long long time. I had a basket of mixed 2nds from the Farmers' Market so with two baskets - $1 a basket - I had more than enough apples. Apples are certainly cheaper to work with than other fruit!
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wizardnm
15 years ago
Enjoy the syrup Lars. It's one of my favorites, especially the grade B. I buy several gallons every spring.

I don't know if you are into sour dough but maple syrup on sour dough pancakes is heaven. A maple/soy glaze is wonderful on salmon. If you eat oatmeal try a little stirred in to that.

Enjoy!

Nancy
mustangs81
15 years ago
Well deserved!

I am a grade B fan too. I use it like Nancy does on pancakes, oatmeal, and salmon glaze. It is pricey here so try to remember to bring some home from where ever.

Enjoy indeed.
Marigene
15 years ago
Lars, you just received a great gift from Annie! There is nothing quite like real maple syrup. I await the end of March, when we get our gallon of liquid gold each year from my sister back home in Vermont.
lpinkmountain
15 years ago
Lars I used to work a sugarbush and do maple syrup cooking demos on a woodstove--good times!

I cannot find any of my maple stuff darn it! Packed away somewhere I guess. The life of a poor vagabond sucks! Anyway, you can make maple pecan pie--it is wonderful but VERY sweet. Also maple pecan bars. I have made both and gotten raves, but I can't find the recipes. I'm sure there are online versions.
doucanoe
15 years ago
Oooh, I think I have "syrup envy"! LOL

What a wonderful and generous gift from Annie!

All of the ideas above are just wonderful. And here is a recipe that I have had in my "to try" file for a while. It was posted by Khandi back in 2006. I plan to make them at some point and always thought they'd be good if I subbed maple instead of corn syrup.

Pralines

2 cups light brown sugar
1 cup sugar
Â¾ cup light cream
1 Tbsp light corn syrup
1 Tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups chopped pecans
In large saucepan combine brown sugar, granulated sugar, cream, and corn syrup. bring to a boil and continue cooking until mixture reaches soft-ball stage, 238'F on a candy thermometer.

Remove pan from heat and add butter, vanilla, and pecans. beat the mixture, to cool (to accelerate the process, set the pot into cool water while you are beating.
Drop the mixture in heaping teaspoonsful onto waxed paper. If mixture hardens too fast, reheat it and add extra cream to soften.

Posted by Khandi 12/06

Linda
Lars
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks, Linda - that looks like a good recipe, especially since it uses cream instead of milk.

Annie, I had to put on another pair of glasses to read the label on the jar - the print was pretty small. Thanks for the explanation of sugarbush - I'd never heard of that before! Kevin told me that the syrup must have cost a fortune because he said it was very expensive even in Albany, which is not that far from Vermont. Anyway, we both love it and are eternally grateful to you for introducing this to us. I agree that the darker "Grade B" is better than grade A - I like the more intense flavor. I'll keep you posted what I make with it.

Lars
annie1992
15 years ago
Lars, use it with abandon. Maple syrup IS expensive, even in good years but that was last year's syrup, it wasn't the Grade A fancy stuff and the owner likes me and so I got a good deal. It cost me nearly as much in postage to mail it as the syrup did.

And yes, I also bought a pint for myself and had pancakes the day I bought it.

Annie
artsyshell
15 years ago
What a wonderful gift and how thoughtful of you Annie! Enjoy your maple syrup Lars!

Shelley S.

Maple Syrup from Annie - Major Surprise!!

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