leigh ann ahmad

The record breaking temperatures of February and March were delightful for many, but a challenge for those living off the land such as maple syrup crafters. A surge in temperature following a below-freezing night creates pressurized sap lines, which then expand, pushing the sap to flow up the tree toward the branches- the sap is the energy that fuels the trees new growth. A tap is placed into the tree to “capture” some of the sugary sap which is then refined into deliciously sweet maple syrup. With very few cold days and nights occurring during this year’s prime of sapping time, many maple tree taps were churning out a very slow and sparse sap flow.

Over the last few years, my family’s pantry has transformed from looking like the cereal and dinner-in-a-box aisle to looking more like the lentils, grains and nuts in-a-bin aisle. While we have scraped the high-fructose syrup residue from our tongue and weaned ourselves from most highly processed foods, we admit to an occasional craving for comfort foods from our past. Pizza is on the top of the, “I know I really shouldn’t have it, but I really want it!” cravings list.