“If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder without any such gift from the fairies, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in." - Rachel Carson
Showing posts with label maple syrup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label maple syrup. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Maple Sunday



We finally managed to take advantage of Maine Maple Sunday this year and visited a nearby maple syruping operation. We got to go inside the sugar shack and see the sap boiling away, and inhale that lovely sugary steam. Free vanilla ice cream drenched in hot maple syrup and maple cotton candy sweetened the deal too- needless to say, Rowan was a fan.











Friday, February 8, 2013

Snow Treats!



With a blizzard on the way, I wanted to share these two recipes for snow treats that we tried earlier this winter. For all of the years I've spent living in Maine playing snow and even eating the white stuff, I never thought to actually use it to make real food. Genius, and kids dig it too. First off, Snow Cream. You can mix up the liquid ingredients in the house, and then tote a mixing bowl and spoon outside to add the snow and make your treat al fresco. We'll be making this to go with Rowan's cake for her birthday tomorrow! Here's the recipe:

Snow Cream:
  • 1/2 to 3/4 cup cream
  • 4 tablespoons sugar 
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla 
  • 1 egg (optional) 
  • 1 bowl of light, clean snow (6-8 cups)

Then, if you have a candy thermometer and are feeling slightly more ambitious, there's Maple Snow Candy. 

Maple Snow Candy:
  • 1 cup of 100% Pure Maple Syrup
  • 1/4 cup of unsalted butter
  • a candy thermometer
Put the maple syrup and butter in a saucepan over medium heat and stir constantly. Use the candy thermometer to make sure you boil the sugar and butter to 220 degrees Farenheit. Remove from stove and after cooling for a couple of minutes, take the pan outside and pour the syrup out onto a clean patch of snow. The syrup will cool and form into a sweet treat the consistency of taffy. You can try to peel clumps of it off the snow or use popsicle sticks to twirl the maple candy onto.