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Connected

I value connections of all sorts. My family. My friends. My neighbors. My colleagues at school and at work. And, with nature, that which provides for us and sustains us all.

Walking through the woods or along the beach or even around my neighborhood is sometimes enough to soothe my soul. Something else that makes me feel connected is buying and eating local food when I can. That’s pretty easy in the spring, summer, and fall since I usually invest in a farm share and pick up local produce and products once or twice a week. CitySeed does offer a Winter Market on Saturdays from 10 to 1 through March at 511 Chapel Street, New Haven, but come spring, farmers markets will become more frequent and easier to find as well.

In the meantime, there is another utterly delicious way to stay connected with the earth, sun, sky, rain, and trees during the winter, and that is with maple syrup from sap drawn from our very own Connecticut trees. Maple Weekend in Connecticut is coming up on Saturday and Sunday, March 16 and 17. Sugarhouses across the state will be open and offering great maple products. Some offer tours in addition to selling their goods, and the owner/operators are generally very happy to explain exactly how maple sap is collected and turned into the golden amber liquid we love so much.

In our area, Parmelee Farm, 465 Route 81, Killingworth, is signed up for Maple Weekend on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for tours. To find out more about that event, call 860-395-9887 or email tim@gannonphoto.com. More information about Maple Weekend and other producers who are participating is available here: https://www.ctmaple.org/maple-weekend.html.

Have you ever been tempted to make the stuff yourself? Be warned, you’re going to need a lot of syrup to make one little bottle. The season for collecting sap is short and subject to Connecticut’s incessantly fickle weather. And you have to take the right steps in the right order. Here is more information about that: www.ctmaple.org/maple-sugaring-info.html.

Truth be told, I’m in a bit of a rut when it comes to maple syrup, and happily so, with pancakes made from almond flour pancake mix. I favor the Simple Mills brand I get at Stop & Shop. I add in finely chopped walnuts, then boil up a handful of blueberries with my maple syrup, usually purchased at Maple Breeze Farm in Westbrook, where I can also buy eggs, meat, and other products during the winter. Since I just refreshed my stock of maple syrup, I was on the lookout for some new recipes that use maple syrup, and I think I’ve settled on this one for Sweet Breakfast Quinoa from Food & Wine’s collection of maple syrup recipes (www.foodandwine.com/condiments/maple-syrup).

Sweet Breakfast Quinoa

By Jill Donenfeld from Food & Wine

Four Servings

Ingredients

1 cup red quinoa, rinsed

2 cups water

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

¼ cup slivered almonds

½ cup dried apricots, cut into ½ -inch pieces

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

½ teaspoon finely grated orange zest

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ cup fresh ricotta

Directions

In a small saucepan, cover the quinoa with the water and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat until the water has been absorbed and the quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes. Lightly fluff the quinoa with a fork and cover it again.

In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the almonds and cook over moderate heat, stirring a few times, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add the apricots, maple syrup, orange zest and cinnamon and stir well until heated through.

Add the quinoa to the skillet and stir gently to incorporate the almonds and apricots. Top each portion of quinoa with a tablespoon of ricotta and serve.