Dark Days Updates

As usual the holidays were a blur and trying to eat SOLE and find time to blog about it proved to be an impossible dream. So I lost a few weeks and don't know what week I'm on any more. Since I did manage to cook a few things recently that encompassed the spirit if not the letter of the Dark Days Challenge I thought I'd do a quick update.

Post holiday eating is always a bit of a challenge. We've been oversaturated with rich food and haven't had time to shop for much in the way of fresh produce. And on top of that, the Sorauren market was on hiatus over the holidays so I've been missing my most ready available source of local ingredients. So I've been dependant on whatever we have in the freezer or pantry. Luckily both were fairly well stocked.

I made this dish based on something my mom used to make us when I was a child. I don't think it actually has a name but I jokingly refer to it as her fusion style because it has a base of her frugal Scots heritage mixed with elements of her French Canadian roots. In this case I used local smoked bacon and duck fat(I rendered myself) which we didn't have growing up but I'm sure Mom would approve.
1 leek, white and light green part, chopped
3 cups coursely chopped cabbage
1 med cooking onion chopped
1/2 cup of bacon cut in small pieces
1-2 tbsp duck or bacon fat
1/3 c maple syrup or to taste

Melt fat in a cast iron or similar frying pan. Add bacon pieces and saute for about one minute on med heat(longer if you like your bacon crispy- I don't). Add all veggies and saute until soft,about 5-7 minutes. Add maple syrup, stir to coat evenly. Turn off heat and allow to rest so flavours mingle but sugars don't burn. Serve as a side or a meal on it's own (feeds 2).


I mentioned in my first Dark Days post that I have issues with maple syrup made in Ontario and I promised to expand. My mom's family is from Quebec, near Montreal and maple syrup is a way of life- my grandfather was known to eat it on everything from eggs to coffee. Sugaring off time is a big community celebration and the most treasured syrup is the first run. I've grown up with this as the ideal syrup and although I am born and raised in Ontario, when it comes to syrup, Quebec will always be my gold standard. Ontario syrup has two things against it for my tastes; darker syrup (which I think tastes like molasses) is far more popular here, and it's common here to tap species of maples other than sugar maples. It's for the latter reason that my grandmother always referred to Ontario syrup as "fencepost syrup"; in her mind they'd tap anything in Ontario!

I've found I'm not the only one with very stong opinions when it comes to maple syrup. I've even been accused of liking 'flatlander' syrup by a native Vermonter, which I found funny since my ideal syrup is produced high in the Laurentian mountains. Apparently the light grades in Vermont are sold only to tourists.
There are different standards, as well as grading scales for maple syrup in Canada and the US (Vermont has it's own). "In Canada, syrups must be at least 66 percent sugar and be made exclusively from maple sap to qualify as maple syrup. In the United States, a syrup must be made almost entirely from maple sap to be labelled as "maple"." (from Wikipedia).

In Canada, maple syrup comes in 3 grades and each grade has colour classes. Canada #1 is broken down into Extra Light (sometimes known as AA), Light (A), and Medium (B); Grade #2 is Amber (C); and Grade #3 is always Dark (D). In Ontario, Canada #2 Amber may be labelled "Ontario Amber" when produced and sold in that province only.

The United States only uses two major grades: Grade A and Grade B. Grade A is further divided into three subgrades: Light Amber (sometimes known as Fancy), Medium Amber, and Dark Amber.

The lightest syrup to me is the best because it has the appropriate sugar content without the strong mineral content that many people believe is the 'maple' taste. The darker syrups are produced later in the run and because the sugar content is lower they must be boiled longer to concentrate the sugars to the correct density. The last syrup produced in a season is sometimes jokingly referred to as the 'frog run' since it may be far enough into spring that you can here frogs croaking. A good syrup producer will stop tapping long before that; the sugar concentrations in sap are extremely low by the time the first buds begin to open. Anything darker than Light in my books isn't true syrup so I wait until I can receive my annual share from Quebec and then hoard it like liquid gold. The syrup pictured above it is the last bit left from last year's run and has darkened over time in the fridge but it still retains it's delicate flavour.

So call me a maple syrup snob if you will- I can live with it. Just don't try to serve me 'fencepost syrup'.

Sugar Snow

I had to be up early this morning and I woke to world blanketed with snow. It's been a long, cold, snowy winter this year and another round of the white stuff wasn't exactly something to cheer about. Until I walked outside in the early morning hush and realized it was sugar snow!

Sugar snow may appear to be just like regular snow to the untrained eye but any one who's ever spent any time in sugar bush will tell you that sugar snow is special. It occurs in late winter when the temperatures hover around freezing which is the ideal sap collection weather as well. Sap needs temperatures below freezing at night but slightly above in the day in order to run. Sugar snow requires similar conditions- too cold and it's just regular snow; too warm and it's sloppy and slushy and heavy with moisture. Sugar snow is large fluffy flakes that drift down like feathers and land ever so gently on anything solid. Clumps of snow clinging to branches tipped with buds makes my heart sing; the slightest movement or breeze will send it cascading down, resembling cherry blossoms in spring.
Living in a big city I sometimes miss the cues and natural rhythms of the seasons. With all the heated indoor spaces and easy transportation right at my door, winter can be one long blur of running from one shelter to another, and snow is something I see through a window. Sugar snow reminds me that spring is at long last on it's way, and things are changing even when I can't see them yet. Forget the robins and the crocuses; sugar snow is my first sign of spring! And even in the city you'll know it's sugar snow when you see the little old ladies out sweeping their sidewalks- no need to shovel this stuff!

Because it's so light and airy, sugar snow acts as insulation where ever it lands and a good sugar snow late in the season can extend the sap run. It also makes an excellent surface to pour molten maple sugar on to make maple taffy.

Best of all it's a good indicator that the sap is running hard and fast right now. Not Far From started tapping last week and with near perfect temps this week, we should have plenty of sap for our Sugaring Off party in Dufferin Grove Park on March 13! So grab your spiels and buckets- it's time to make syrup!

Projects to Beat the Winter Blahs

I don't know about you but this winter is starting to make me feel like this:

I think I'm suffering from an acute case of cabin fever! Thankfully, there's a few upcoming events and projects around Toronto that will help shake off the winter slump no matter what the weather's doing.

First up is Seedy Sunday, this Sunday Feb 12 at Hart House in Toronto.

Seedy Sunday is one of the highlights of the new garden season to come and a place to get great ideas as well as open pollinated and heirloom seeds. If you aren't in downtown Toronto, Seedy events are happening all over Canada now so check the Seeds of Diversity list for one near you.


While you're mapping out your garden, you might want to make room for a pollinator nesting box. By hosting a small (30cm x 14cm), maintenance-free nestbox for cavity-nesting bees in your front or backyard, and permitting access to visit the nest approximately once per month for 20-30 minutes, you'll be contributing to important research about the wild bee population in Toronto. The nestbox would be set up at the end of April, and picked up at the end of October. These types of bees won't be making any honey sadly but they will help pollinate your garden! For more info and to register to be part of the project by Scott MacIvor check out his website at T.O.Bee



Got a maple tree in your backyard? Not Far From the Tree is gearing up for our Syrup in the City project again this winter. After last year's successful pilot project, we are expanding the project to included a DYI component which will allow people to purchase our kits and with our support, tap your own trees! Similar to our fruit picking model, you'll have the option to contribute some or all of your sap to our community boil down, and everyone is invited to our Sugaring Off party at Dufferin Grove on March 13. For more info and to register check out Syrup in the City




If you aren't in the Toronto area, check this list for a local community garden network in your area- it's time to get busy again!

Maple Syrup in the City and other projects to beat the winter blahs

It's minus 15 C without the windchill today but the sun is shining and it makes me antsy to be doing stuff. Indoors of course. I am not one of those crazy Canadians that likes the cold. I'm a big fan of winter sports as long as I'm inside watching them on tv. ( Can't wait for the Vancouver Olympics!) So to keep myself from going completely stir crazy I need projects- lots of them!

So far I have kept myself pretty busy. This past week I had lunch with my aunt to update her on my genealogy research. She gave me a ton of photos to scan (with my new scanner!) and lent me a pile of books- a new series that I am devouring in quiet moments. I also met with Brenda Dougall Merriman who was kind enough to share her research on our mutual family name ( but sadly not mutual ancestors) She also introduced me to a fantastic book -History of the Counties of Argenteuil, Quebec & Prescott, Ontario., written in 1896! ( Okay maybe it's only fantastic if your family is from there or you are some kind of Canadian history nut).



Colette came over for an evening of CanJam planning. We decided in the interest of fairness we would each pick one recipe, make them both and have a taste off before making our final decision. We perused an number of recipes, some old and some new and narrrowed it down to two, with a back-up if we can't obtain the ingredients we need for one of our first two choices. Then because we were all fired up and I had lemons in the fridge, we made preserved lemons just for the heck of it. We did two different versions- one based on Joel from Well Preserved's lemon confit which uses a lot of salt and another version that suggests you crush the lemons slightly in the salt to release the juice and tops it up with more lemon juice. Both jars are currently doing their thing on my window sill and it will be a few weeks before we can test the results. We'll be making one of our chosen CanJam recipes tomorrow!



The most exciting project- Maple syrup! The gang at Not Far From the Tree have a new project- tapping maple trees and making syrup right here in downtown Toronto. Crazy? Ambitious? Brilliant? We'll see! Right now we are just in the planning stages so there's not much to tell. I'll post more when we have an actual plan!