Eating Locally through Vermont's Winters: Maple Season

More Recipes from the Winter Farmers' Market

At the March winter market, Dave and Julie Lane served up fresh, hot pancakes with maple syrup from Crescent Bay Farm. Naomi King from Lemon Lily Farm made a pot of maple cranberry chicken to share with customers, and Denise Boutin from My Kid's Kitchen shared a yummy maple spread on bagels. As farmers and sugar makers around the area were tapping their trees, we all enjoyed these tastes of maple, and hope you will too!

Maple Cranberry Chicken

18-24 chicken thighs

1 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup soy sauce

12 ounces whole cranberry sauce

instructions: parboil the chicken for 7 minutes. drain and place in crock pot. stir together the remaining ingredients and pour over chicken. cook on high for one hour. cook on low for five hours more.

Maple Cream Cheese Spread

Maple Syrup

Cream Cheese

Cinnamon

instructions: this is a recipe that calls for all ingredients to be added "to taste." Start with 1/2 a cup of cream cheese at room temperature. Add a few tablespoons of maple syrup and a dash of cinnamon. Stir well. the consistency should remain spreadable rather than pour-able. Adjust amounts to taste. Feel free to experiment with other flavors- add nutmeg, dried cranberries, or vanilla, maybe finely diced orange peel- and enjoy the spread with unusual ingredients. While delicious on bagels, try spreading on pita chips, carrots, or apples. It would also make a great frosting for maple cake, carrot cake, or other sweet treats.