Thursday, October 13, 2011
pancakes anyone?
The other day Mary and Julia Ellen accompanied me to the local grocery store to stock the pantry and fridge in our new home. As we were standing in front of the syrup selections Mary and I discussed the price difference between maple syrup and the commercial brands of "syrup." We decided to conduct a taste test comparison and see if boiled tree sap tastes 3 times better than the fake stuff, since it costs over 3 times as much. After reading a book last week about where our food comes from, which dedicates a chapter to the effort in making maple syrup I was eager to pour the real thing on my pancakes. I figured I shouldn't live in Maine, one of the top maples syrup producing states and NOT use it, but at $30 a quart, I've stuck with Log Cabin, which only contains about 2% syrup. So, last night I made pancakes for supper. Each child cut their 12" round in half and, after pouring from each bottle on top, they tasted the difference between "real" and "fake." Everyone agreed that the maple syrup side was much tastier. With 6 kids who love to drench their pancakes and waffles with sweet syrup, I might have to mix the two to stretch it, but we will still be supporting a local industry and eating better tasting pancakes.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Yeah, I buy the real stuff for grownups and let the kids douse their pancakes with that garbage. They just waste too much. I remember going to maple sugar festivals in Ohio (in the spring) as a child and eating the maple sugar candy. Since you'll be up there this time in March/April, see if they have any. Not all maple syrup is alike - different regions have different flavors. You should see if the kids can tell the difference between syrup from Maine vs. syrup from another part of the country.
Real maple syrup is best, but here is another idea. My husband's family used to make their own syrup by using the maple flavoring Mapleine. I think if you google maple flavored syrup recipe, you will find some options. Some use just white sugar, others include brown sugar and some also use corn syrup. It is supposed to be cheaper than the store-bought fake maple syrup.
Sarah
Post a Comment