nitty gritty grain

Maple Season Sweets
FarmPlate Mar 14, 2011 Nitty Gritty Grain 0 comments
As Vermonters dug out from last week's epic snowstorm, they had their ears tuned to the weather forecast. And what they heard couldn't have made maple syrup producers happier--temperatures were expected to wobble above and below the freezing point for the rest of the week. Bad for travel, but good for rising sap. The plentiful rainfall this past fall and record-breaking snowfall this winter are two predictors for a good syrup season. Maple syrup and related products are big business in Vermont. One in every four trees in the state is a maple, and the little state is the largest producer of maple syrup in the country. Last year’s production topped a whopping 890,000 gallons, or 46% of the...
Maple-Sweet Sweet Potato Pie
FarmPlate Mar 14, 2011 Nitty Gritty Grain 0 comments
from the FarmPlate Kitchen Old-fashioned gingersnaps, the hard ones that are so good for dunking in milk, make a delicious and easy crumb crust. Mi-Del organic gingersnaps are particularly good here. 2 cups (8 ounces) gingersnap cookie crumbs 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 2 tablespoons demerara or raw cane sugar 2 generous cups cooked and mashed sweet potato 3 large eggs ¾ cup maple syrup, preferably dark amber 1 cup half-and-half 1 tablespoon bourbon or 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 2 teaspoons ground ginger 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg A big pinch ground cloves 1 /8 teaspoon salt Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Combine the cookie crumbs, melted butter...