Springtime Is Maple Syrup Time

When you, like me, trace your roots back to a place like Maine, the surest sign of spring isn’t some groundhog in Pennsylvania. It’s the taps going up on the sugar maple trees all around. This usually happens in February, and the sap starts to flow come March. (Of course, this varies every year, depending on the weather. Er, weathah.)

It’s always been perplexing to me that so many of us think of maple as an autumn flavor. Maybe it’s because the sweet, woodsy flavor of maple feels cozy and carb-y, just right for colder-weather nesting. Maybe it’s because maple flavors go so well with late-harvest feasts like Thanksgiving. Who knows? Luckily, unlike more finicky seasonal produce such as strawberries and peas, maple syrup keeps for long periods. (It keeps so well, in fact, that Canada has millions of gallons of maple syrup reserves to hedge against year-to-year variances in production).