Maple Taffy and Cheese

Maple taffy on snow instantly reminds me of school trips to the sugar bush, sweet sticky maple goodness wrapped on a stick was our reward for braving the cold days learning about maple syrup production. 

photo credit 

Since my childhood I had always thought that it could not get any better than maple taffy by itself. Those thoughts changed one night at a party in Toronto, it was there that I was offered Canadian cheese wrapped in maple taffy. The sound of it intrigued my curiosity and the salty sweet taste life changing and it left me wanting more. 

Use the recipe below to make your own maple taffy and pick your favourite cheese and serve it up to yourself or at a party. You will not regret it.

photo from foodnetwork.ca

What is 150 of our favourite Canadian things? Read about it here

Read More

Maple Dipped Donuts

Post by Stephanie Fry

Mmm…maple…yum!!! Anything maple is definitely iconically Canadian thanks to our nation’s flag and our beautiful maple trees; the source of this sweet, sweet nectar. Though I’m pretty sure that donuts were not invented in Canada; thanks to Tim Horton's they sure do seem like a popularly known Canadian treat. Drizzle some of that sweet maple flavoured icing onto a soft, fluffy donut and muah! You have a delicious perfectly Canadian, portable dessert; the maple dipped donut which is one of my favourites. 

These two cuties (Russell, left and Wesley, right) sure do enjoy their maple dipped donuts from Zehrs Markets, Alliston. If you are wondering why the donut they are eating doesn’t look like a maple dipped donut, they chose the sprinkled version; now who doesn’t like sprinkles!


What is 150 of our favourite Canadian things? Read about it here

Read More

Maple Syrup

Guest Article by Helen. 

I love this great big country I call home! You might know it as Canada! *cue the national anthem* 

I'm going to share with you today, the inside scoop, on one of our country's most coveted natural resources; MAPLE SYRUP!

OK maybe not everything, but I know a bit! Plus, I got the inside scoop from some friends of mine, William and Brittney, who have their own "Micro Maple Syrup" operation. (It's like a micro brewery but for Maple syrup)

The young couple, out of Barrie, Ontario, begin prepping for Maple Syrup season as soon as the first thaw hits. It's all hands on deck to get this operation going before the sap starts flowing. The first step is to run the hoses, and get the wood chopped to help fuel the boiling process.

William uses hosing rather than taps and buckets for efficiency. The hosing all runs down to barrels for collecting and then a larger hose runs from the barrels to the cooker. The cooker is where the first stage of the magic happens.

After the cooking stage the sap is put through a 2nd boiling, where it must reach a boiling point of 107 degrees Celsius (or as close to it) This is what really makes the sap, into syrup! After this stage it is ready to bottle!

Not all Maple syrup is created equal though. Maple syrup can vary in colour, and flavour depending on what stage in the season it is created. The lighter the syrup, the earlier in the season it was made, and the less flavour it can have. The darker the syrup, the later in the season it was made, but it also tends to have a stronger maple flavour. 

Isn't it incredible that something so flavourful and deliciously sweet, can come out of a tree in your backyard?

Oh Canada! Oh Maple Syrup! Cheers!

What is 150 of our favourite Canadian things? Read about it here

Read More