Maple Syrup Quotes

“Autumn in the country advances in a predictable path, taking its place among the unyielding rhythms of the passing seasons. It follows the summer harvest, ushering in cooler nights, and shorter days, enveloping all of Lanark County in a spectacular riot of colour. Brilliant hues of yellow, orange and red exclaim, in no uncertain terms, that these are the trees where maple syrup legends are born.”
― Arlene Stafford-Wilson

“We wanted to do French toast for the brunch, but acknowledged that it is a dangerous item for a special event where people might be dressed up. Patrick had an awesome recipe for the toast itself, using day-old Challah, melted vanilla ice cream as a main ingredient in the soaking liquid, and just a hint of sea salt. I had come up with an alternative to the sticky drippy-down-your-front maple syrup problem by mixing equal parts maple sugar and demerara sugar, and having him sprinkle this on top of the already-cooked French toast and doing a quick brûlée under the broiler; giving the toast a thin crackly maple sugar shell. All the sweet and smoky taste, nothing ruining your mother-in-law's favorite silk blouse.”
― Stacey Ballis, Off the Menu

“As the days continue to lengthen, and most signs of winter are gone, familiar songbirds return to the sugar bush, and the frogs in the lowlands begin to sing.”
― Arlene Stafford-Wilson, Lanark County Kitchen: A Maple Legacy from Tree to Table

“I made the Gruyère cheese soufflé and the grilled ham with apricot sauce. Nathan prepared the yogurt parfaits with fruit compote."
"Nathan, how'd it go with this first challenge?"
"Good. I think I managed okay." His eyes were wild and he looked slightly shell-shocked.
"Did you get a chance to taste Helene's food?"
"Yeah." He nodded vigorously. "She's good."
The other contestants laughed at the understatement.
Jenny clapped her hands together. "My favorite dish was an American specialty. Buckwheat pancakes with a trio of toppings... classic maple syrup tapped right here at the farm, a blackberry sauce with mint, and a delicious maple walnut butter. And the bacon-wrapped Brussels sprouts side was crispy and salty and delicious.”
― Penny Watson, A Taste of Heaven

“But we're going to make the lightest, fluffiest pancakes, and if we don't have any fruit syrup today, then we'll just use good old maple syrup."
"Go for Grade A dark amber," said Oliver. "It's rich and velvety."
"And very good for dipping apples in," Troy said, pointing to his FarmFresh shirt.
Gus handed Carmen some eggs. "Separate those out," she told her, "because when I make pancakes, I always fluff the whites separately. Then I fold them in when the batter is mixed..."
"And that's how you keep them high and light," said Carmen.”
― Kate Jacobs, Comfort Food

“Long past the first official day of spring on the calendar, old man winter slowly loosened his icy grip on the Lanark County farmlands. We waited and watched for the tell-tale signs, hoping that the mercury in the old thermometer would being to move in the right direction. Even as the sap began to drip slowly from our beloved maple trees, the bitter winds blew relentlessly from the north.”
― Arlene Stafford-Wilson, Lanark County Calling: All Roads Lead Home

“The nuns were not the only ones to take an interest in French-Canadian cooking that fall. It was a November evening, a little before the first snow. With both her parents out, Madeleine opened the can of maple syrup she had stolen from the Damours grocery store. The maple syrup pie recipe was quite straightforward. Just five ingredients. But Madeleine prepared it with all the care and attention to detail that the Japanese take in making sushi. She worked in religious silence, without making a mess, without spilling flour. The sweet aroma of maple syrup soon floated over the kitchen, then the living room, as the syrup boiled with the heavy cream. A smell delectable enough to wake the dead, to make them wish they were still alive. Madeleine washed the utensils as she went, leaving no trace behind. Once the pie was in the oven, its aroma gained in strength and substance.”
― Éric Dupont, The American Fiancée

“How do you get the chicken this crispy?" I asked. The meal was a mixture of the saltiest and crunchiest fried chicken and the buttermilkiest and sweetest waffles and syrup.
"Oil," Auntie Gina said. "You want your breading like this, you've got to fry it in rivers of oil."
We talked a little bit more about how Harry liked to squeeze a blop of syrup from the bottle on each bite of chicken and waffle just so he could get the exact amount of maple flavor, and everybody laughed.”
― Jen Nails, One Hundred Spaghetti Strings

“Each year, as those first flakes of snow fall softly on our meadows, along the rolling farm pastures, and into the towns and villages, the outstretched branches of Lanark County’s sugar maples stand steadfast, coated in their winter white. Under a cold silent cloak our beloved maples rest, patiently waiting for Mother Nature’s signal, telling them the time has come once again to make the county’s finest liquid gold.”
― Arlene Stafford-Wilson, Lanark County Christmas

“For most Canadians warmer days and melting snow signals the end of winter, but for those of us who grew up in Lanark County the very first sign of spring was seeing galvanized buckets hanging from the sides of maple trees.”
― Arlene Stafford-Wilson

“In Lanark County you'll find people who are genuine maple connoisseurs. Some can even tell you the area of the county where the syrup was made, and whether it was boiled in the traditional style or produced with modern machinery.”
― Arlene Stafford-Wilson

“Familiar songbirds reappear, perched high above the stark white landscape in those final frigid days of February and March. Their long-awaited songs announce a return to sunny days, with nights still cold enough to freeze in that delicate balance of those elusive few weeks when the sap will run.”
― Arlene Stafford-Wilson, Lanark County Kitchen: A Maple Legacy from Tree to Table

“On those crisp late winter days, when temperatures drop below freezing at nightfall, then rise once again in a sunny spring thaw you'll find them there. Three generations will be tapping, gathering, and boiling the sap, including some from the same faithful trees that towered over the property long before their ancestors arrived from northwestern Ireland.”
― Arlene Stafford-Wilson, Lanark County Kitchen: A Maple Legacy from Tree to Table

“The sugar moon, which is the closest full moon to the spring equinox, is said to usher in the best maple syrup weather, and marks the transition from winter to spring.”
― Arlene Stafford-Wilson, Lanark County Kitchen: A Maple Legacy from Tree to Table

“The powerful forces of nature, both kind and cruel, some nurturing, some destructive, live at the heart of any maple syrup operation.”
― Arlene Stafford-Wilson, Lanark County Kitchen: A Maple Legacy from Tree to Table

“She walks the same paths where her father walked, and her grandfather, and her great-grandfather before her. She passes by familiar trees, the towering silent witnesses to over two centuries of history. Many of these majestic woodland giants, like faithful old friends, proudly bear the telltale tap-marks, remnants of a multi-generational maple harvest.”
― Arlene Stafford-Wilson, Lanark County Kitchen: A Maple Legacy from Tree to Table

“The responsibility does not lie with the maples alone. The other half belongs to us: we participate in its transformation. It is our work, and our gratitude, that distills the sweetness.”
― Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants