Syrup!

The maple syrup farmers have been busy the last couple of weeks in this neck of the woods. Some of the resulting bounty has found its way to my pantry. I'm very excited at the amount of fresh local syrup I've been able to find.

4 Litres (a gallon) were made by a co-worker of Mr. A who makes syrup as a hobby. We signed up for 2 litres but we pleasantly surprised at being offered another two. It seems it was a sap-plenty season. This is the first time I've had syrup packed per litre into large mason jars. I love this option! There's a lovely wide pouring surface, the jars are reusable and they are so much better than the top-heavy store bought jar that is constantly falling over in my fridge.

The large 4L is from a local syrup farm that has a limited run of syrup packaged in 4L containers. My mom tries to get a family order in early so my whole extended family gets a large jug that will last (some of them) all year. In my house, maple syrup is very nearly a food group. I'm excited to see how long I can stretch this batch. I'm already down a pint: 2 batches of maple fudge and a load of breakfast pancakes.

The last few months have seen a huge surge in maple syrup prices around here. 500mL (2cups) is $13 at the grocery store. We don't have a year-round farmer's market, so once you run out, you're forced into buying from the grocery store. This year's local homemade is selling at $12 per liter. Mr. A is glad to have found such a great 'deal' as well. He is newer to the maple syrup habit having grown up on that other stuff they call syrup...but it's not. Thankfully we have the extra grocery money to put up this much syrup.

With the arrival of the syrup, I can now finally agree that Spring is here. I'm sure there are other signs if I would only go outside and notice them. I will be calling an end to my seasonal hibernation this week...fueled by the need to disperse the extra maple fudge to somewhere other than my hips counter top.

♥Mrs. A