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Maple syrup is fabulous in salad dressings and marinades.  Our new favorite version includes buttermilk, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, a splash of oil, and maple syrup. You can, of course, just tinker with these ingredients until you find a blend you like. If you'd like a bit of a nudge, here's a start: 1 T soy sauce 3 T maple syrup 1 T apple cider vinegar glug of oil of your choosing (olive, walnut, or avocado are all lovely) shake up in a half-pint jar and add buttermilk to top it off if you like a thicker dressing, try...

Well, we've never dared to claim that maple syrup is a health food, but if someone else wants to who are we to argue?:)  Read up here about the potentially beneficial effects of maple syrup: http://healthimpactnews.com/2016/studies-show-neuro-protective-effects-of-real-maple-syrup/

Easter frequently coincides with sugaring season for us, and this year was no different. What was different was the weather! I can't recall enjoying Easter lunch in the sun. James didn't have to wear snow boots while hunting for eggs and chasing bubbles. Of course, some things never change. No Easter on the farm would be complete without someone doing a construction project, and someone fixing a car!

We love small-scale hobbyist producers! These are the roots of sugarmaking -- collecting sap with buckets and boiling it down in the open woods with a small, wood-fired arch.   

The Portage Bay Grange now offers Stannard Farm Vermont Pure Maple Syrup "on tap." Drop by with an empty glass jar and fill on up! Buy some farm fresh eggs while you're at it.    This lovely store is an urban farmstead store that also features chickens and other poultry, hen-houses and feed, and all manner of items for homesteading. Check them out on Roosevelt Avenue in the U-District in Seattle!