It's the time of year when I start thinking nostalgically of Sugaring, that early spring ritual in Canada and New England when we would tap the sugar maple trees to collect the sap, then boil it down to make maple syrup. It's not just that I miss the doughnuts, freshly fried and dipped in still hot syrup, I miss the whole thing. I miss having maple syrup ready at hand for pancakes, French toast, and ice cream, and oatmeal. We used to substitute maple syrup for sugar in all sorts of recipes. Mostly what people buy in stores is Grade A, or a sub-grade of A; it's lighter in color and weight, and more delicately flavored. I favored the heaver, dense more robust Grade B weight, though we mostly used Grade C for cooking. I don't think you can buy Grade C as a consumer, though it's the best for making maple sugar candy. Grade B is often available at Trader Joe's.

I was delighted to read about this study from a University of Rhode Island scientist, one Navindra Seeram, in which Seeram discovered that Maple Syrup is loaded with all sorts of antioxidants, as well as a number of phenolic compounds which are closely linked to various natural "anti cancer," and anti-aging chemicals in humans. All in all, natural "real" Maple Syrup has, according to Seeram's research, 13 "newly discovered" beneficial compounds, all of which also occur in Maple sap. Another study scheduled for public release at the International Horticultural Congress in August, the result of research performed under the direction of University of Laval plant scientist Yves Desjardins, and funded by Canada, is believed to include information about a compound in Maple Syrup that is thought to encourage pancreatic cells to release insulin.