And no, I’m not talking about Aunt Jemima.

I’m talking about fresh-from-the-tree, pure, deliciously sweet, surprisingly healthy, maple syrup. I happen to prefer Vermont Grade A Medium Amber over a New Hampshire creation, because to me the VT version just tastes better. However, either variety (or perhaps a Maine or Canadian version) makes for a great sweetener and sugar substitute.

I really have my friends Nicole and Poul to thank for my newfound love for maple syrup. I visited them last June and bought some maple syrup from the VT farm Poul works for, Consider Baldwell Farm, after Nicole told me she uses the syrup to sweeten her plain yogurt. I figured why not try it! The maple syrup from the VT farm was so good, it was difficult to not eat it by the spoonful. (Even after trying a few syrup from other farms in both NH and VT, it is still my favorite!) I began using it on a regular basis as a way to sweeten my yogurt (see my Yogurt Parfait recipe) and then quickly found other uses for it (see my Maple-Cinnamon Ice Cream recipe.)

Now, as I do more research and progress into more healthy eating habits, I’m feeling good about my decision to use natural sweeteners like maple syrup, honey, and agave nectar. I do use sugar (organic cane sugar and organic brown sugar) in my baking and cooking on occasion, but I am planning on avoiding artificial sweeteners. I’ve never been a heavy soda or energy drink consumer, nor do I have an undying love for processed foods (would much rather have fresh ingredients and make my meals from scratch) but going forward I’m planning on avoiding these products all together. There are numerous scientific studies and articles written about why artificial sweeteners are controversial and not that great for you, especially how bad they are for children, so many in fact that I could probably dedicate a year’s worth of blog posts about the topics. I don’t have any interest in creating such a blog, but I will say this: if it contains the word artificial, how good could it possibly be for you? For more information about artificial sweeteners, Fooducate, is a great resource.

Now, back to how wonderful maple syrup is!

Health Benefits of maple syrup:
- Contains over 50 antioxidants (see Antioxidants )
- Contains many beneficial minerals such as manganese, calcium, zinc, potassium and riboflavin (see Nutrition )
- Fitsugar does a nice post talking about a recent study on maple syrup and how it can aide in better health; specifically, how it can aide in digestion, inflammatory disease, and muscle recovery in athletes.

Recipes and useful tips when using maple syrup:
- A little goes a long way! I typically only use 1-2 tsp when using it as a sweetener in my yogurt, smoothies, oatmeal, and even sometimes in my coffee (typically just drink it with milk.)
- You can purchase local maple syrup from farmers markets and farm stands. I’ve noticed that a lot of farm stands/stores have maple syrup even if they themselves don’t produce it – they trade with other farms that do.
- Some of my recipes include: Maple Cinnamon Ice Cream, Yogurt Parfait.
- A very simple marinade I created is:
1 tbls. Sesame oil
2 tsp. Pure maple syrup
2 tsp. Balsamic vinaigrette
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

Whisk together all ingredients to combine.

I brushed half of the mixture onto two salmon fillets and allowed them to marinate for 10 min. Then, I cut 1/2 head of cabbage into small strips, grated 2 large carrots and 2 large daikon radishes, diced 2 cups of mushrooms, 1 cup of bean sprouts, and minced 1 clove of garlic, and added it to a large skillet with the remaining marinade. I cooked all the veggies over medium heat while the salmon was marinating, then set them aside. I cooked the salmon over medium heat in a medium skillet, turning once to cook through. I served the salmon over the veggies. Mmm mmm!

Salmon marinating

Dinner is served!