Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chautauqua County’s Agriculture Program is reminding you that local maple is always in season. There are many local maple producers in Chautauqua County and across New York State. Chautauqua Grown, a source for all things local foods in Chautauqua County, is available online at www.cce.cornell.edu/chautauqua.
In Chautauqua County there are over 1,515 farms – 52 of them are maple producers. These maple producers make around 6,254 gallons of maple syrup a year with roughly 39,899 taps! If you have ever wanted to learn more about where your maple syrup comes from this is the time. The Annual Maple Weekend is coming soon and is the perfect opportunity to visit with local maple producers, see their sugarhouses and maybe purchase some maple products to enjoy at home while supporting your neighbors!
Maple can be used for so much more than pancakes. Maple is commonly used as a natural sweetener in many recipes. Molly Harvey, a Snap-Ed Educator with CCE Chautauqua, has a recipe to share:
Maple Glazed Turnips
Try this great maple glaze flavoring over turnips and sweet potatoes.
Prep/ cook time: approximately 1 hour.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon margarine or butter
3 tablespoons maple syrup
½ teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons lemon juice
3 cups turnips peeled and diced
2 cups sweet potatoes, cubed
Directions
Melt margarine and add syrup, cinnamon and lemon juice. Mix turnips and sweet potatoes in a medium casserole dish.
Add syrup mixture and stir to coat evenly.
Cover and bake at 400º for 15 to 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until browned (20 to 30 minutes). Serve hot.
Refrigerate leftovers within two hours.
Chautauqua Grown is proud to have six local maple producers listed in our directory. Those producers include Big Tree Maple, Brookside Maple Grove, DeGoiler’s Maple Products, Fairbanks Maple, Gustafson’s Maple Country USA, Harrington Maple and Honey and Pleasant View Dairy Farms. There are many others and most of these producers have their products available for purchase at their farm locations and other locations that distribute honey.
To learn more about any of the Chautauqua Grown maple producers, visit their profile at www.cce.cornell.edu/chautauqua/chautauqua-grown or visit any of their self-service stands.
To learn more about the upcoming Maple Weekends in New York, visit https://mapleweekend.nysmaple.com.
