Cabane à Sucre

One of the perks of living in Quebec has got to be Cabane à Sucre season (also referred to as Sugaring Off or Sugar Shacking)!  The season varies every year, but typically runs from the end of February through early May. 

I gather a significant portion (3/4!) of the world's maple syrup is produced in the province of Quebec.  In elementary school, it was an annual tradition to visit a Cabane à Sucre to see how the maple trees are tapped to collect the sap and then made into syrup.  Maple syrup is essentially made by boiling down 30 to 40 liters of sap to yield a single liter of maple syrup.  Now that is some concentrated flavour! 

The best part of the trip was always the Cabane à Sucre feast that awaited us after our tour.  Although the menu varies slightly from place to place, it usually consists of pea soup, creton (pork pâté), pickles and pickled beets, baked omelet, bacon, ham, baked beans, oreilles de crisse (which is essentially crispy pork rinds) and potatoes.  

Be sure to leave room for dessert - the pancakes, sugar pie and grandpères (essentially dumplings in a thickened maple syrup sauce) are too yum.  And that's not all!! Once you have gorged on the all-you-can-eat meal, you finish it off with some tire sur la neige (maple taffy on snow)! 

Maple syrup is a staple in my household.  My corn fritters would not be the same without this golden liquid.  It is equally good in smoothies, Greek plain yoghurt, desserts, etc.  There are a multitude of uses for maple syrup.  While more expensive than regular syrup, it is well worth every penny.  The flavours simply cannot be compared.       

Enjoy!