i do so love (real) maple syrup

not just on pancakes and waffles either. it can be used in recipes as a sugar replacement (make sure you compensate for the extra liquid if it's a BAKING recipe) or even in your coffee or tea or lemon/limeade. pour it over a warm freshly homebaked muffin. ok ENOUGH, i'm starving now

Sap Running At Sugar Shack
By SUSAN CAMPBELL Courant Staff Writer February 6 2006
In the Burlington hills, Lamothe Sugar House has been tapping trees and making syrup for more than a week now. That's roughly two weeks earlier than they ever have before, says Robert Lamothe, who started tapping trees in the late '70s.If the Washington, D.C., cherry trees can bud during this freakish January thaw, can amber maple syrup be far behind?Elsewhere in the state, several other syrup manufacturers say they are holding off. But even north in Vermont, a few sugar houses have started production early, says Larry Myott, executive secretary of the International Maple Syrup Institute. Mostly, though, people in Vermont are still preparing for the sap, which generally runs a few weeks later than in Connecticut, Myott said."This period of warm weather is not uncommon," Myott said. On Sunday, the temperature in Connecticut reached a high of 49 degrees."If this would continue, that would be drastic, but it's never done that," Myott said. Craig Cyr, of Hope Valley Sugar House in Hebron, agreed. He's waiting to tap closer to his town's 16th annual maple syrup festival, March 11-12.........

from compassion over killing a vegan pecan pie recipe using maple syrup:

Pecan Pie Makes one 9-inch pie
9-inch vegan pie shell, unbaked
3/4 cup water
1 1/4 cups maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
dissolved cornstarch (mix 1/4 cup cornstarch with 1/4 cup water plus 1/2 tablespoon cold water)
2 tablespoons soy margarine
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups toasted, unsalted pecan halves
Non-dairy ice cream, if desired

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Poke the pie shell several times with a fork and pre-bake for 3 minutes. Remove pie shell from the oven and place on a rack. In a medium saucepan, combine 3/4 cup water and maple syrup. Boil for 5 minutes, then add the salt and dissolved cornstarch, whisking vigorously. Keep stirring and cook over high heat just until the mixture thickens and is clear. Remove from heat and add the margarine and vanilla, stirring until the margarine is melted. Pour mixture into the pre-baked pie shell. Arrange the pecan halves on top, pressing one cup into the mixture and the remaining cup along the top of the mixture. Place the pie in the middle of the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 350oF. Bake for 30 minutes. Cool on a rack for about 11 hours, then refrigerate until thoroughly cooled. Add non-dairy ice cream, if desired.