Now is the time when maple trees here in the Northeast become precious sources of sap instead of just natural beauty. Commercial producers and hobbyists alike start spending weeks, days and hours cooking up the magic and mystery of the culinary delight that is pure maple syrup.<\/p>\n
Most people think of maple syrup only for pouring on pancakes. But after reading this post, I hope you will want to find many more uses for this healthy and natural sweetener.<\/b><\/p>\n
You will be surprised to find out how good for you it actually is, too!<\/p>\n
Maple syrup is an all-natural sweetener that, like honey and agave nectar, occurs in a naturally liquid state. It contains no fat, artificial colors, animal products, or preservatives.<\/b><\/p>\n
Unlike refined white or brown sugar, maple syrup is actually a great source of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and antioxidants<\/b>, including:<\/p>\n All the vitamins and minerals in maple syrup are 15 times more concentrated than those found in honey, and at only about 80 calories per ounce<\/b>. Compare that with 120 calories per ounce for corn syrup<\/b>-the sweetener used in most sodas and pre-packaged foods-which has no nutritional value at all, and really, what’s not to love?<\/p>\n Pancakes aside, you can use pure maple to sweeten coffee or tea, pour over ice cream or yogurt, as a dip for fruits or dressing for salads, and as a flavoring agent or sweetener in almost any recipe.<\/p>\n Maple syrup can take the place of honey, molasses, corn syrup and sugar in cooking and baking with some minor adjustments. Just substitute 1\u00c2\u00bd cups of pure maple syrup for each cup of sugar and add \u00c2\u00bc teaspoon baking soda for each cup of syrup used. You should also reduce the liquid used by one-half when substituting syrup for all the sugar in a recipe, and when syrup replaces half the sugar reduce the liquid by one-fourth instead.<\/p>\n Remember that only 100% pure maple syrup-preferably local and organic-is the truly healthy option!<\/b><\/p>\n Most name-brand syrups found in the grocery story are actually corn syrup, and you won’t reap the health benefits from them (just a sugar rush and empty calories). Though the expense of real syrup is greater, you are definitely getting what you pay for in terms of health and nutrition for yourself and your family.<\/p>\n To save on the expense, you can try making maple syrup yourself<\/b> at home. You only need one good-sized tree with a tap and some kind of container, access to an outdoor boiling area, and a fair amount of free time available for the process, such as a weekend. There’s plenty of information free online, and it’s a pretty simple process.<\/p>\n Like gardening, canning or homebrewing beer, it’s a fun, educational and ultimately deliciously rewarding project for all the effort.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Now is the time when maple trees here in the Northeast become precious sources of sap instead of just natural beauty. Commercial producers and hobbyists alike start spending weeks, days and hours cooking up the magic and mystery of the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":181,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\r\n\n