Even as a small child I loved the salty sourness of sauerkraut and the pucker-power of a good pickle — much to the delight of my sisters, who, according to my mother, thought it was great fun to place sour foods on the tray of my high chair to see if I’d actually eat them (I did). Of course, fermented foods like these are not just tasty, they also are excellent sources of gut-friendly probiotic bacteria.

I’ve long wanted to learn how to make my own sauerkraut and pickles, but I can never quite get to the class my local extension program offers periodically, so I was pleased for the opportunity to get my hands on this product. There are several fermentation kits sold online by Nourished Essentials, but the kit I tested was the Easy Fermenter 3-Pack+Pump kit, which consists of three sturdy lids that fit a standard wide-mouth canning jar. The lids are designed with a small valve that allows carbon dioxide created during fermentation to escape, but doesn’t let any oxygen in, thus eliminating the need for more complicated air lock mechanisms that frequently come with fermentation equipment setups.

Also in my kit was a vacuum pump, which looks and functions just like vacuum pumps used to remove air from wine bottles when you want to maintain the quality of wine remaining in the bottle. Removing oxygen from the jar is sometimes necessary during the fermentation process, such as after you’ve taste-tested your ferment. The kit also comes with a short instruction booklet, and purchasers get free access to Nourished Essentials’ “Fermenting Club,” an online forum for recipes, information, instructions and troubleshooting — a useful bonus!

Taking my cue from the instruction booklet and videos on the Easy Fermenter website that described sauerkraut as an easy introduction to the art of fermentation, I thinly shredded some fresh cabbage and got started. I tossed the shredded cabbage and a little Kosher salt in a mixing bowl, let it sit for about an hour, then packed it all into a quart-sized jar, making sure all the cabbage was covered with the liquid produced while the cabbage rested in the bowl. I then screwed on the lid and left it on the counter. That’s basically all there was to it — they weren’t kidding when they said it was easy! The next day I noticed some tiny CO₂ bubbles making their way up to the top of the jar, meaning it was working! As it turns out, I packed the jar too full and some of the brine escaped through the valve and collected on the lid, but I just poured it off.

Just over 30 days later, I taste-tested my sauerkraut and it was delicious! And all I had to do next was put the jar in the refrigerator — no need to swap the special lid with anything else — where it will keep for several months. I’m so pleased with the taste of my homemade sauerkraut. It tastes less salty than commercially produced sauerkraut, which is nice because I usually have to rinse sauerkraut due to its saltiness.

Incorporating more fermented foods into my diet is a goal of mine, and having the Easy Fermenter makes home fermentation much less daunting than I thought it was going to be.
I highly recommend this product, especially because you don’t have to purchase a lot of equipment to get started — most people have a jar on hand at home, and the cost of this kit is reasonable.

The post DIY Fermentation In a Jar — It’s All About the Lid appeared first on HealthStylz.

Creamy, rich and surprisingly easy to prepare, cheesecake is my go-to dessert for parties and dinners when I want a crowd-pleasing, make-ahead sweet. So it’s no surprise that I already owned three springform pans before I received the Lékué Duo Springform Mold with Ceramic Plate to review. However, I’d been contemplating purchasing a more petite version for “family-size” creations, so it was a welcome addition to my collection.  

Form and Function

The Lékué Duo springform pan represents a major departure from the typical aluminum type in that none of the pan is metal. The base plate is ceramic, and the ring that usually snaps together with a clasp is replaced by two half-ring pieces made of flexible, food-grade silicone. These interlock to form a full ring, and the bottom edge of each piece is grooved to allow for gripping the ceramic base plate’s edge. Getting it all to fit together nicely is a breeze — you can hear and feel the sides interlocking — and the complete unit feels secure, although the silicone sides are still quite flexible.

The Cheesecake Test

If you’ve ever had a springform pan leak, you know what a mess it makes! I was a bit nervous about putting this pan in the oven for fear of the seals leaking, so I placed a sheet pan underneath while baking. But the Lékué passed the test — no dripping butter leaks when I prebaked the crust, and no filling leaks even though my recipe filled the pan almost to the top. 

Of course, we all know that the moment of truth with cheesecake is when the pan’s sides are removed. I admit I was tempted to run a knife around the pan’s inside edge just to make sure the cake loosened from the sides, but I decided to risk it — it was silicone, after all. I started at one of the interlocking side seams, carefully peeling the silicone sides away from the cake and platter one at a time. It was a beautiful sight — there was very little sticking, and the cake’s shape was nice and even. A win!

Other Things to Know

If I had one complaint, it would be that getting the pan out of the oven was more difficult than I thought. The two handle-like protrusions on the upper edge of the silicone don’t seem super sturdy and, once the pan is full, it seems like grasping the pan’s flexible edges would mar the cooked filling. To overcome this, I slid the pan off the rack using one hand and grasped it from the bottom with my other. This was easy because the pan is small, but it might not be as simple with one of the larger versions.

Both the silicone and ceramic sections are dishwasher-safe. For more compact storage, the silicone sides can be rolled up, but I store mine right in the box it came in.

The Lékué can be used in the freezer, refrigerator and microwave, so cheesecake is certainly not its only use!  I could see this pan being used for quiche, tarts, ice cream cake, a mousse-type cake, a charlotte or even a coffeecake.

I really like this pan. I made a few cheesecakes in it, testing the recipe below, and I hope that the components continue to fit together nicely after many more uses.

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Lover’s Cheesecake

8 servings

Ingredients

Crust:

• 6 chocolate wafer cookies, crushed
• 2 tablespoons almond meal
• 1 tablespoon melted butter

Cake:

• 2 8-ounce packages Neufchatel cheese, at room temperature
• 1 cup low-fat vanilla Greek yogurt
• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon powdered peanut butter
• ⅓ cup coconut sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup mini chocolate chips

Garnish:

• 2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips
• 4 full size peanut butter cup candies, coarsely chopped (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a small bowl, stir together crushed cookies, almond meal and melted butter. Press mixture into bottom of the springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven and let cool while preparing filling. Turn down oven temperature to 325°F.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat softened cheese until smooth. Add Greek yogurt and eggs and mix again until well combined. Add powdered peanut butter, coconut sugar, vanilla extract and salt and mix until smooth. Stir in mini chocolate chips. Transfer mixture to the pan and smooth the top.
3. Bake cheesecake for 50 minutes, or until edges are dry and center just barely jiggles when pan is gently shaken. Remove from oven and let cool completely, then refrigerate at least 6 hours, preferably overnight. Do not remove the outer ring from the pan.
4. Remove cheesecake from refrigerator for 10 minutes before serving (you can remove outer pan ring at this time or leave it on until garnish is added).
5. Heat 2 tablespoons chocolate chips in microwave for 1 minute on high until melted; microwaves vary, so stir every 15 seconds to check progress. Transfer melted chips to a resealable sandwich bag, squeeze chocolate into one corner and seal the bag. Snip off a little of the bag’s corner and squeeze chocolate out, drizzling it over the top of cheesecake decoratively. If desired, sprinkle cheesecake with chopped candies and cut into 8 slices.

The post A New Take on an Old Favorite appeared first on HealthStylz.

Hosting a big crowd this holiday season and want to serve extra food that doesn’t create a lot more work? Here’s your answer. Making this slow-cooker turkey breast is not only easy — it uses no oven space and ensures that there will be plenty of moist, flavorful meat to go around, including for sandwiches the next day. 

 Cranberry Roasted Turkey Breast 

Serves 6-8 

Ingredients 

• Nonstick cooking spray 
• 1 tablespoon quick-cooking tapioca 
• 1 cup dried cranberries 
• 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil 
• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced shallot 
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt 
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme 
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper 
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar 
• 1 14-ounce can whole berry cranberry sauce, divided 
• 1 6 to 7-pound thawed turkey breast, rinsed and patted dry 

Instructions 

1. Coat the slow cooker crock with cooking spray. Sprinkle the tapioca and dried cranberries in the crock and set aside. 
2. Heat the butter or olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. When hot, add shallot, salt, thyme and black pepper. Cook and stir until shallot is soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add vinegar and ¼ cup cranberry sauce and stir to heat through. Set aside remaining cranberry sauce. 
3. Remove the turkey breast skin, if desired. Place the turkey in the crock, breast side up if possible — the shape of your cooker may require the turkey be cooked on its side, which is fine. Pour the shallot and cranberry mixture over the turkey and cover and cook 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high. 
4. Transfer the turkey to a platter and tent with foil, letting it rest at least 10 minutes before slicing. Skim and discard any visible fat from the cooking juices in the crock and add the reserved whole-berry cranberry sauce, stirring well. 
5. Slice the turkey breast and serve the sauce on the side. 

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Cultivated for centuries, mainly in Asia and Europe, the Brassica genus of plants (to which most cruciferous vegetables belong), boasts surprising variety. Most adult Americans consume significantly less than the 2½ cups of vegetables per day recommended by the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. So, what's a serving of cruciferous vegetables? According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (which categorizes these vegetables in the "dark green" or "other" subgroups) if it's leafy and served raw, a serving is 2 cups; for cooked greens, a serving is 1 cup. For non-leafy cruciferous vegetables, such as turnips and radishes, a serving is 1 cup regardless of whether it's cooked or raw.

Cruciferous vegetables are a nutritious source of many key nutrients. They're a good source of dietary fiber and contain vitamins K, C and E, folate, minerals such as potassium and calcium, and several carotenoids. Extensive research has been conducted on the potential impact of crucifers on various cancers. While evidence shows a number of nutrients and phytochemicals in the cruciferous family may have anticancer effects, much of the research has focused on the abundant sulfur-containing glucosinolates.

Aside from causing the sulfurous smell exuded by some crucifers during cooking, glucosinolates break down into compounds that may decrease inflammation and impact carcinogenic activity in the body. While some epidemiological studies suggest a diet containing plentiful cruciferous vegetables may help decrease the risk of some cancers, recent research does not show a consistent or strong association. Further research is underway, including studies involving the impact of genetics on the body's ability to utilize the potentially beneficial anticancer compounds in these vegetables.

Arugula

Also called "rocket," arugula is available as both a mature green and a "baby" form — both of which have the vegetable's well-known peppery taste. Find it in many commercial salad greens mixtures or on its own with bright, crisp leaves and stems to sauté.

Bok Choy

Grown in China for thousands of years, bok choy means "white vegetable." Both the dark green leaves and white stalks of this calcium-rich vegetable are edible. Although it's typically associated with stir-fries and soups, bok choy can add a crunchy texture and fresh taste to salads.

Broccoli

Both the stalks and florets of this vegetable are edible and nutritious. Cooking broccoli concentrates some of its health-promoting substances (carotenoids, for example), but it also significantly decreases glucosinolates. Minimize these losses by microwaving or steaming broccoli instead of boiling it.

Brussels Sprouts

A good source of dietary fiber and folate, Brussels sprouts have a somewhat bitter taste. Minimize this bitterness by roasting or braising, adding sweetness such as a drizzle of maple syrup or sautéing in a little oil or butter.

Cabbage

Three types of cabbage are typically available: pale green, purple-red and crinkle-textured savoy. Napa cabbage — also called Chinese cabbage — is another common variety. Eat it raw or cooked, or fermented in the forms of sauerkraut or Korean kimchi, which provide probiotic benefits.

Cauliflower

Called a curd, the head of cauliflower holds hundreds of immature white florets attached to a single stem. Besides the well-known white cauliflower, today's market includes varieties from light green broccoflower (a cross between broccoli and cauliflower) to purple, orange and chartreuse Romanesco cauliflower.

Kale

Nutrient superstar kale is the king of vitamin K — 1 cup of this cooked crucifer has the highest level of the vitamin among all foods. When purchasing, choose dark colored bunches and avoid yellow or brown leaves.

Kohlrabi

Beneath the purple, pale green or white exterior of this vegetable is crisp, juicy and mild-tasting white flesh. Kohlrabi bulbs can be eaten raw or cooked, and the edible greens are typically sautéed or steamed. Believed to be native to France, kohlrabi is popular in Germany and India, where it is a common ingredient in curries.

Mustard Greens

Pungent mustard greens are an excellent source of vitamins A, C and K. Given their strong taste, cooked mustard greens may be preferred over raw. Braise or sauté with a little olive oil, chicken broth and garlic; toss steamed greens with a splash of sesame oil, salt and pepper; or add them to curries and soups.

Radish

While many consumers are familiar with red garden radishes, the white daikon radish, which is common in Asia, and black Spanish radish also are part of the family. Radishes can be eaten raw for a crisp crunch in salads, vegetable platters and sandwiches and can be roasted for a side dish or added to soups and stews.

Rapini

Known by various names worldwide (including turnip broccoli, Italian broccoli and rape), this leafy plant forms florets that don't mature to a large size. Though it's often called broccoli rabe or raab, rapini is not a type of broccoli and is different from broccolini; in fact, rapini tastes much bitterer than broccolini.

Rutabaga

Larger than a turnip, rutabaga is thought to be the result of a botanical crossing of wild cabbage and turnip. Rutabaga flesh is pale yellow, and the exterior of the root may be white, purple or yellow. Commonly waxed to avoid drying out, it can be roasted, mashed or cut into chunks to replace potatoes in soups and stews.

Turnip

Ancient and hardy turnips come in a range of root shapes and colors. If possible, purchase turnips with the leaves still attached, then detach at home for two nutritious vegetables in one. In recipes, swap turnip roots for potatoes and use the greens in place of spinach or mustard greens.

The post Crazy for Crucifers: 13 Cruciferous Vegetables Brimming with Nutrients appeared first on HealthStylz.

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The book confirmed what I thought already: striving to eat a completely unprocessed diet is ridiculous. At least, for me it is. Kimble's account of her attempts to eat nothing but whole, unprocessed foods for an entire year, however, was interesting, informative and entertaining. Kimble investigates where to draw the health line in the food-processing continuum — which foods are so minimally processed that they are fine for the body and the planet, and which could she firmly stamp as "unacceptable" and how would she make do without them.

Unprocessed did prompt me to think more about processed foods. It also left me shaking my head and wondering what the point of the experiment really was — especially since not all types of processing render the food overly-handled, devoid of nutrients or laden with added substances that might be better avoided.

There's Processed Food and Then There's Processed Food

Not all processed food is bad for your health — Unprocessed acknowledges that. Obviously, there are levels of food processing, and I'm a big fan of some of it. Food processing started out mainly as a safety measure, one that would keep food fresher longer and prevent food-borne illness. Who can argue with freezing as a processing step that preserves food safely?

Let's face it, pretty much all food purchased at supermarkets these days is processed in some way. Even fresh fruits and veggies — which many people consider to be unprocessed — are processed. They're washed, treated to prevent spoilage, trimmed, cut into different shapes and often packaged either at a manufacturing facility or at the store. This kind of processing counts as "minimally" processed.

Then, there are the "highly processed" foods: cereals, crackers, breads, candies, pastries and snack foods, some canned foods, and, of course, frozen convenience foods. According to a recent study from the University of North Carolina, 61 percent of the food we eat is "highly processed." So when talking about "processed food," realize that it's a very inclusive term, one that includes plenty of really healthful foods that we should be eating more of — not trying to remove from our plates. It might be better to start regularly describing foods as "minimally processed" or "highly processed" in order to differentiate the concept for consumers.

Processed Food Can Help You Eat Better

Yep, you heard me! Without some help in getting healthy foods to my table, I'm less likely to eat it (and I suspect many others feel the same way). For instance, it would take too long to shell all the beans and peas I want to consume, there's no way I would crack nuts and seeds by hand the rest of my days, and you couldn't pay me to take meat and poultry from its live animal status to plucked or skinned, trimmed and ready-for-the-grill status.

Therefore, you'll find me somewhere in the middle: some processing is good, but too much isn't.

Kimble provides many examples of the trials and tribulations she faced while trying to un-process her diet. Waiting for salt to appear from seawater she collected in a pail, grinding her own wheat by hand, taking a class on butchering meat — these are not activities I see myself doing (though I did find reading about them interesting). The amount of time she devoted to sourcing and preparing various foods and ingredients sounded like a descent into drudgery to me. In many cases, Kimble chooses the path of complete processed food avoidance, finding it easier to abstain completely than make some small allowances. Not eating something at all when one cannot figure out the processing level of absolutely every ingredient in it sounds easy, but in real life she finds that it isn't. She feels awkward in some social scenes, and left out in others (eating at restaurants was particularly difficult).

Tips to "Unprocess" Your Diet That I Agree With

Many people could improve their diets substantially by making just a few smart choices in the quality of food they purchase — and none of these choices require all-day efforts. Unprocessed includes three tips right up front in the book that I think make perfect sense.

• Buy plenty of food that doesn't need a label at all: fresh produce, for example.
• Choose single-ingredient foods — one that have ingredient lists just one or two words long: rolled oats, cream, navy beans, wild rice.
• Start reading food labels and think about which ingredients you want to avoid before you start shopping. You'll save yourself some agonizing decisions (and time) while standing in aisle 9.

The post Why Processed Food Isn’t All Bad appeared first on HealthStylz.

Many varieties of peas are grown or harvested at different times for different uses. All peas, however, can be divided into one of two types: inedible- or edible-podded. Inedible-podded peas, such as English peas, are often referred to as green peas or shelling peas. Edible-podded varieties, such as snow peas and sugar snap peas — a variety developed in the late 1960s — have seeds that are flatter or smaller.

Some varieties of edible-podded peas require removal of the "string," a tough fiber that runs the length of the pod, though many commercially available peas are now "stringless." Green peas and edible-podded peas are harvested before maturity. When just-picked, they are sweet-tasting, but their quality suffers and their sweetness diminishes as the sugars change to starch over time.

Therefore, it's best to eat fresh peas as soon as possible. Edible-podded varieties provide a pleasing "snap" and crisp texture when raw or briefly cooked, but they become soft if overcooked.

Nutritional Qualities of Fresh Peas

Although 1 cup of green peas is considered a vegetable serving in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Patterns and MyPlate, peas are actually legumes. With 8 grams of protein in 1 cup of cooked green peas, they pack a protein punch.

Carbohydrate-rich green peas are not especially low in calories, having just over 130 calories per cup. They are, however, nutrient-dense, supplying vitamins and minerals including vitamins A, C and K, B vitamins, manganese, iron and fiber. Edible-podded peas contain 64 calories per cup, about half the calories of green peas. Although they contain slightly less protein (5 grams per cup), they provide similar nutrients. Green peas contain purines that can be broken down into uric acid, so people susceptible to purine-related conditions, such as gout, are typically advised to limit consumption.

The Healthy Nutrition Academy' Nutrition Care Manual recommends limiting green pea consumption to ½ serving per day. More research is needed, and individual response to purine-containing foods may vary.

Fresh Peas in Foodservice

With a short window of availability in the spring, only about 5 percent of fresh green peas are sold fresh. Fresh edible-podded varieties are more easily obtained year-round. Look for fresh peas that are bright green and smooth with few blemishes. Fresh edible-podded peas can be kept refrigerated in a vented or perforated plastic bag for up to five days. Shelled fresh peas are best when consumed the day of harvesting or purchasing but also can be refrigerated for two to three days. Freeze green peas, sugar snap peas and snow peas for up to 12 months.

Kitty Broihier, MS, RD, is a freelance writer and public relations consultant based in Maine.
 

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Because I used dried beans instead of a canned variety, I had to pre-soak the beans. I did this overnight in a bowl on my counter, changing the water several times. If you prefer to pre-soak your beans for a longer time, about 24 hours, the active cooking time in the slow cooker would be shorter than in the recipe below. Or, you may pre-cook your beans and then add them toward the end of the cooking time.

When you think your soup is done, just give it a stir and see if the beans are soft and the mixture is the consistency you prefer — we like our soups quite thick and "stew-ish" at my house so I cooked the recipe for a long time overnight. And, yes, the house smelled amazing in the morning. Yours will, too!

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Roots and Greens — How to Cook Beets 

Beets purchased at farmers markets and supermarkets today have a larger root bulb than the wild beets that grew in ancient Asia, Europe and North Africa, which is why only the greens were typically consumed back then. Beet greens can be eaten raw in salads, but are frequently sautéed or steamed, much like their botanical cousins chard and spinach. The roots, most often thought of as ruby-hued, can range in color — including yellow, white and even striped — and are as versatile as they are beautiful.

Classic culinary treatments include pickling or blending cooked beets into soups, such as Russian borscht. Raw beets are a popular juicing ingredient, yielding a perfectly pink concoction. They can be grated, diced or thinly sliced for a colorful salad or edible garnish. Grilling or roasting beets and serving either hot or cold brings out their natural sweetness. Steaming or boiling also are popular options. Using cooked beets in baked goods, such as a reduced-fat cake or brownie recipe, adds nutrients and moisture.

And, for those who don't want the trouble of preparing beets from their raw state, pre-cooked, plain beets are available in the refrigerated produce section of supermarkets, along with canned beets, in forms including pickled, glazed and unadorned.

Beets and Nutrition

Fresh beets present a double bounty; their greens and root bulbs both are edible. A one-cup serving of cooked beet greens is an excellent source of vitamins A and K, potassium and magnesium, and a good source of calcium. A cup of beetroot is an excellent source of folate, as well as a good source of fiber and potassium.

Recent attention has been drawn to the high nitrate content of beets. Research suggests the natural nitrate in vegetables and fruits — which is reduced in our bodies to nitrite, nitric oxide and other metabolites — is partly responsible for heart-healthy benefits conferred by a produce-packed diet, such as lowered blood pressure levels.

Athletes are increasingly interested in dietary nitrate supplementation with beet juice (sometimes called beetroot juice); research indicates it may improve performance by decreasing the amount of oxygen needed during exercise, increasing blood flow to exercising muscles and lengthening the amount of time one can exercise before reaching exhaustion.

Beet juice products are now marketed to elite athletes — although sports dietitians may want to counsel their clients to eat all sorts of fruits and vegetables, including those that are higher in nitrate.

Using Beets in Foodservice

Beets can be economical and versatile. They are available in a range of cuts and sizes, including shoestring, baby beets, diced, sliced and whole. Canned beets can be enhanced with a dusting of citrus peel and a sprinkle of toasted nuts for a salad or mashed with sweet potatoes or yams for a colorful side dish.

Storing fresh beets takes adequate refrigerator space, especially if they have greens attached. To store, separate the greens from the roots; the tops will keep for a few days in perforated bags, while the roots will last a week or more in the refrigerator crisper drawer. Always wash well before use.

Cooking fresh beets for a crowd calls for a bit of prep time — washing, peeling and slicing — and, depending on their size (smaller beets cook faster) and cooking method, beets can take more than an hour to become tender. The outer peel of a beet is easily slipped off after cooking, which helps preserve nutrients. Raw beet recipes usually call for peeled beets, so wear gloves to prevent staining your hands.

Roasted fresh beets can be enhanced with a drizzle of balsamic or orange juice-based glaze. Sliced fresh beets roast in about the same time as carrots and potatoes that are cut to the same thickness; toss slices in olive oil and season before roasting to create a colorful side dish for the fall season.

Related Recipe

• Caramelized Beet and Sweet Onion Soup

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Concerned about his people’s well-being, the Great Spirit sent Gluskabe as an envoy to check on the Abenaki. Wandering from village to village, Gluskabe came upon a town in disrepair. He heard a loud, collective moan and found the villagers lying under the maple trees, syrup dripping into their mouths. All the sweet syrup had made the people unhealthy and lazy, and they couldn’t move.

Gluskabe reported his findings back to the Great Spirit, who was displeased. He stopped the flow of syrup and filled the maple trees with sap instead. When the villagers eventually woke from their stupors, Gluskabe told them that from then on, they would need to work for the sweet treat of maple syrup by hauling rocks, lighting fires and boiling the sap over the hot stones.

Today, not many people heat stones and boil buckets of sap to make maple syrup, but the basic process — heating collected maple sap until sweet syrup forms — hasn’t changed. Acer saccharum, or the sugar maple, is the traditional tree tapped for maple syrup production each spring.

Trees are tapped as early as January, depending on the weather, according to Randi and Louise Calderwood, the owners of Echo Hill Farm — a fifth-generation maple syrup farm in East Craftsbury, Vt. “The rule of thumb is that the trees should be tapped by Town Meeting Day,” says Louise Calderwood. Town Meeting Day marks Vermont’s admission to the Union in 1791, and it takes place every year on the first Tuesday of March. “But cold weather can pop the taps out, so you have to go through and tap them back in. In January, you spend time repairing the sap lines.”

Typically, sap starts flowing in early March when daytime temperatures are above freezing and nighttime temperatures are below freezing. The daytime and nighttime temperature fluctuations and changing pressure acts as a pump that pushes sap out through the tap and into the lines that drain the sap to the sugarhouse where syrup is made. Sap flows for six to seven weeks, but when the maple trees start to bud, the sap becomes bitter and sap collection stops for the season.

How Maple Syrup Is Made

Sugar maples are tapped with plastic spigots (older spigots used were metal), and the taps are connected via plastic tubing to a collection tank in the sugarhouse. Some syrup operations use a vacuum to help pull sap from the trees, while others position the sugarhouse downhill from the trees, relying on gravity to gather the sap toward the collection tank.

Although the next major step in the syrup-making process is to boil the sap, some sugar producers first will use a reverse osmosis machine to remove water from the sap. “The reverse osmosis machine we have removes about 80 percent of the water from the sap before we begin boiling,” says Marsha LaPorte, who runs Burgess Sugarhouse in Underhill, Vt. with her husband, Bill, and their family. “This saves greatly on wood and time spent boiling. With the reverse osmosis machine, we can now make 40 gallons of syrup per hour — as opposed to 5 gallons per hour using the same amount of wood.”

The sap is moved into an evaporator, where it snakes through a series of steam pans over a heat source, increasing in sugar concentration and decreasing in water after progressing through each pan. Sap officially becomes syrup at 219 degrees Fahrenheit. By the time it gets to the last pan, the maple sap has turned to maple syrup.

From A to B: Maple Syrup Grades

Maple syrup characteristics vary according to when a syrup was made during the maple sugaring season. The earlier in the season the sap is harvested, the more translucent the syrup. But contrary to popular belief, syrup grades do not suggest superiority, merely different attributes.

The United States and Canada use different terms for national maple syrup grades, and some states, such as Vermont and New York, use their own classification systems to regulate production and marketing. Last year, the Vermont Maple Syrup Makers Association released new labeling standards “to provide a more accurate description based on consumer preference.” Labeling all four classifications as “Grade A” syrups and describing both color and flavor, New York State also is adopting these standards. “The goal is that it will become an international standard,” says Helen Thomas, executive director of the New York State Maple Producers Association.

Learn more about proposed changes to maple syrup grades and what those definitions mean.

To this end, the maple syrup industry petitioned for revisions to the federal classification system, and from May 7 to July 7, 2014, the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service collected comments on proposed changes that would shift the emphasis to flavor. As of press date, no announcements have been made about changes to the federal grades for maple syrup, but should the revisions be accepted, the expectation would be that the Canadian food inspection agency would be on the same trajectory, according to Matt Gordon, executive director of the Vermont Maple Syrup Makers Association.

Nutrition Profile of Maple Syrup

No matter where maple syrup hails from in North America, its nutritional content is nearly identical. Despite being primarily sugar (about 66 percent by weight, mostly in the form of sucrose), maple syrup contains a variety of nutrients and potentially beneficial natural compounds, including small amounts of amino acids as well as polyphenols. It’s a good source of the B vitamin riboflavin (61 percent Daily Value), as well as several minerals: a standard ¼-cup serving provides more than 100 percent of the Daily Value for manganese, and roughly 8 percent of the Daily Value for both calcium and zinc. In fact, scientists have identified more than 60 compounds in maple syrup, including phenolics that inhibit carbohydrate hydrolyzing enzymes and a “process-derived compound” aptly named Quebecol (for the Canadian province of Quebec, the world’s leading maple syrup-producing region). Created when sap is boiled down into maple syrup, Quebecol is a novel phenolic compound that has yet to be tested for bioactivity in animal or human studies. At roughly 50 calories per tablespoon of maple syrup, portion control is called for — but as far as sweeteners go, maple syrup has a lot going for it.

Although pancake purists may scoff, topping a short stack is merely the beginning when it comes to culinary uses for maple syrup. Using maple syrup in cooking provides a depth of flavor that goes beyond sweetness. In fact, darker syrup is sometimes preferred for its more robust flavor and color — but they are all interchangeable as long as you’re using 100-percent maple syrup. Here are a few ideas:

• Sauces and glazes
  From sweet glazes for roasted fall vegetables or maple-based sauces for pork or chicken, even barbecue sauce works with maple syrup.
• Beverages
  Maple syrup is versatile and may be used to sweeten any beverages, hot or cold, from lemonade to lattes.
• Swap in syrup, swap out sugar
  Recipes that call for brown sugar or granulated sugar can often be made with maple syrup instead. Try it with granola, baked beans or cooked fruit desserts to start. Baking with maple syrup requires some adjustments to the recipe (using less liquid, for example), so seek out recipes specifically formulated for maple syrup unless you’re willing to experiment.

Sea Salt Caramel Macaroon Bars

Developed by Amari Thomsen

Ingredients
Coconut Base
2 cups shredded coconut, unsweetened
½ cup coconut oil
¾ cup almond meal
¼ cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon sea salt

Caramel Layer
¼ cup water
½ cup coconut palm sugar
1 cup coconut milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon sea salt

Chocolate Drizzle
½ cup dark chocolate chips

Directions

1. In a food processer, mix together the coconut base ingredients until well combined, scraping down the sides as needed.
2. Press mixture into an 8-inch square baking pan lined with parchment paper. Place pan in the freezer to allow it to set while you make the caramel layer.
3. In a small saucepan, combine water and coconut palm sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to a simmer. Add coconut milk, vanilla extract and sea salt. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring constantly until the mixture begins to thicken and darken in color. Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool for a few minutes.
4. Remove square pan from the freezer. Pour the caramel mixture over the coconut base. Return pan to the freezer. Freeze bars overnight or for at least 5 hours to allow caramel layer to set.
5. In a small saucepan, heat dark chocolate chips over low heat, stirring constantly until melted.
6. Remove bars from the freezer and drizzle with chocolate. Sprinkle with additional shredded coconut if desired.
7. Cut bars into squares and store in the freezer.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 1 bar
Serves 12
Calories: 331; Total fat: 27g; Saturated fat: 21g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 168mg; Carbohydrates: 22g; Fiber 3g; Sugars 16g; Protein: 3g; Potassium: N/A*; Phosphorus: N/A*
*Reliable nutrition information for almond meal, coconut palm sugar and dark chocolate baking chips was not found.

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