Fresh Picked Rhubarb
You know it’s truly Spring when you have fresh rhubarb for sauce, pies and cakes! I make my rhubarb sauce with Maple Syrup or Maple Sugar instead of white sugar. I also substitute the white sugar in the cake with Maple Sugar. The maple rhubarb sauce can be eaten as is, used over pound cake or ice cream.
Sauce ingredients:
Maple Rhubarb Sauce
4 cups of fresh rhubarb
1 cup Maple Syrup
2 tsp butter Read more
Quick word association – I say maple syrup you say……pancakes right? I certainly agree with this – I love maple syrup on pancakes or more accurately I enjoy a little pancake with a lot of syrup!! Maple syrup is a natural sugar loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that makes a great substitution for processed sugar.
I use maple syrup everyday in my coffee. I also use it to sweeten plain yogurt, in smoothies and on my oatmeal. I substitute sugar in my baking with maple syrup. Winter squash and carrots are extra yummy when baked with syrup! Top off any meal with a Vermont tradition of maple syrup on ice cream.
Maple syrup substitutions for granulated sugar:
1 cup granulated sugar = 3/4 – 1 cup maple syrup If you like sweeter food use 1 cup , if you want it slightly less sweet use 3/4 cup
There is more moisture in maple syrup so you should decrease other liquids (milk, oil,etc.) by 2-4 tablespoons overall (not each type of liquid).
If the batter needs to rise add 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of baking soda to neutralize the slight acidity in maple syrup. If the recipe already has buttermilk, sour milk or sour cream this will do the same as the baking soda so do not add more.
Decrease the oven temperature by 25* as syrup tends to caramelize the top and edges.
Baked Maple Glazed Baby Carrots
Vary this recipe based on how many your feeding. I either use whole carrots ( so my bunnies get the scraps!) or I cheat and use a bag of baby carrots.
1 bag of baby carrots
1 – 1/2 cups syrup
3 Tbsp butter
Salt and Pepper to taste
Parsley
Mix all the ingredients in a large glass baking dish. Spread evenly. Bake at 350* about 35 minutes or until tender. Enjoy!
Maple Tapioca Pudding
Frogs’ eggs – umm I mean tapioca pudding is one of my favorite quick deserts to make. They require only a few ingredients, fewer dishes, and easy prep time.
Why do I call them frogs’ eggs? When I was a little girl I spent my days outside and if there was a puddle to Read more
Prep Time : 15 minutes
Baking time: 1 hour
Cooling time: 10 minutes
Equipment: Baking sheet, aluminum foil, large mixing bowl, spoon, measuring cups and spoons, cooling rack, cutter ( I used a pizza cutter)
Ingredients:
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375*. Adjust rack to middle section. Line an 18×13 inch rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
In a large bowl combine oats, oil and salt until evenly coated. Spread the mixture evenly on the lined pan. Bake 20-25 minutes, stirring about every 10 minutes.
Roasting oats
Use the same mixing bowl to combine the maple syrup, nuts, fruit, vanilla and spice.
Reduce the oven temperature to 300*. Remove the oats and add them to the maple syrup mixture. Stir until evenly coated and mixed.
mixing roasted oats, almonds, craisins and maple syrup
Use non-stick spray to coat the aluminum foil. Evenly and firmly spread the granola mixture on the baking sheet. Bake until golden about 35-40 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool about 10 minutes on a cooling rack. Cut the granola into bars but leave in the pan to finish cooling. Don’t wait too long to cut as they harden as they cool. My bars were more square pieces then the typical store bought bars and I did end up with small chunks left over. I bagged the bars in separate bags then put the pieces in one bag to be used to make yogurt parfaits. Shelf life is about 2 weeks – my family has yet to test that theory – lucky if it lasts for days around here!
Finished granola
Ian demonstrating maple is naturally good straight from the tree!
Preparing sugar maples to be tapped for the first time.
Vermont Maple Syrup Grades
Delicate Rich Robust
