If you’ve read my articles for any length of time, you know it’s one of my habits to encourage the use of PURE anything—honey and maple syrup, for instance. And for very good reasons.

Take maple syrup: why do I push pure? First of all, to distinguish it from Mrs. Butterworth’s®, Log Cabin®, Aunt Jemima®, etc., which are all just maple-flavored high fructose corn syrup. Nasty stuff that does the body no good thing.

Second of all, I push pure because of its nutrients. While we all know sugar is sugar is sugar, pure maple syrup is a sugar that contains 90 mg per tablespoon of potassium, 82 mg per tablespoon of manganese, and 22 mg per tablespoon of zinc. This is no small thing.

Third of all, I push pure because it’s delicious. It’s a class act in the flavor department. Its subtle taste never overwhelms a recipe.

Finally, I push pure to support the maple syrup industry. Many small-scale producers are family-owned, using traditional methods passed down through generations. These farms typically focus on quality and sustainability, producing syrup in smaller batches. And supporting these farms helps boost local economies and communities.

Besides its nutrients and deliciousness, there’s its versatility. Those of you who also use pure maple syrup in your dishes know how talented it is. For instance, is there a better way to jazz up your morning oatmeal? Then there are its glazing powers. Carrots turn into “Cinderella of the Vegetable Ball” when wearing a maple glaze. And sweet potatoes baked with maple syrup and spices are good enough to be dessert.

And who doesn’t love cooked bacon or sausage cooked in pure maple syrup? Speaking of proteins, make a BBQ sauce using maple syrup and mustard, slather it over your chicken, and taste what happens!

Lastly, don’t forget the snack department. Have you ever tasted popcorn served with maple syrup and cooked bacon bits? Oh my—history-making!

And then there’s maple syrup spiced nuts. I’ll close with a recipe for them that’s easy to make and addicting. This is a timely recipe, since nut season is here, with harvest times (varying by nut type) generally occurring from late summer through early winter (September to December).

Maple Syrup Spiced Nuts

Ingredients:

2 cups shelled pecans
2 cups sliced almonds
2 cups shelled walnuts
2/3 cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper or to taste
1 dash sea salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine nuts in a medium sized bowl. Combine the maple syrup, Cayenne pepper and salt in a small bowl. Stir the liquid until blended and pour over the nuts. Stir the nuts with the liquid until covered. Place the mixture on a foil covered greased cookie sheet. Place in the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes. Stir the nuts halfway through the cooking period. Cool thoroughly before serving.

Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.