FOOD

MAKE ROOM FOR MAPLE!

Pure maple syrup (not to be confused with pancake syrup) is a versatile ingredient. Here are some recipes for making breakfast, lunch, and dinner just a little sweeter.

BY SARAH PERREAULT, ALMANAC FOOD EDITOR

MAPLE GRANOLA

This healthful granola is great with yogurt or eaten straight out of the container!

3 1⁄2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

2⁄3 cup maple syrup

1⁄2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

1⁄2 cup chopped almonds (optional)

1⁄4 cup vegetable oil

1⁄4 cup pumpkin or sunflower seeds

1 cup raisins, dried cranberries, and/or dried cherries

Preheat oven to 225°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a bowl, combine oats, maple syrup, coconut, almonds (if using), oil, and pumpkin seeds. Spread on prepared baking sheet.

Bake until granola is golden brown, up to about 1½ hours. Remove from oven every 15 minutes to stir.

Transfer to a bowl and stir in raisins. When cooled, store in a container with a lid. Makes about 6 cups.

THE HISTORY OF MAPLE SYRUP

We have Native Americans to thank for discovering maple syrup, although the exact telling of the tale varies. According to one legend, a chief stuck his tomahawk into a maple tree one spring night. In the morning, he pulled it out and went off hunting. His wife had placed a container under the tree, and the clear, watery sap dripped into it. Later, she needed water to cook some meat. She thought the liquid in the bucket was water, so she used it. As it cooked, the water evaporated until syrup was left. The sweet meat was the best that they had ever tasted, and soon the entire tribe was cooking with maple sap.