The Truth behind Aunt Jemima and Mrs. Butterworth

Ok, everyone...(or probably no one, b/c nobody would check a blog that never gets updated!)...I repent of my blog-slacking and resolve to do better. :)

With that out of the way...



Since moving to the Boston this year, Rob and I have been on a mission to experience Authentic New England Through The Seasons (you may have noticed this theme...a clam bake and apple picking). We've been looking forward to spring for more reasons than just a break in the artic weather; spring in New England means...drum roll, please!....Maple Sugaring!



I am a big fan of breakfast. My dad was always in charge of weekend breakfasts at our house, and he has pretty much mastered the art of belgian waffles, buttermilk pancakes, and paper-thin crepes. Us kids got pretty creative when it came to topping these delectable treats, but one staple was always Aunt Jemima maple syrup. Rob, on the other hand, has told me that the Ellis household loved KK's "little red hen" pancakes smeared with peanut butter and Mrs. Butterworth maple syrup.

VS

I thought I'd give a little background to explain why we were so excited to participate in the creation of such an important part of our childhoods.



So, Rob and I and our friends Brandon and Becca headed out to Drumlin Farms, where we'd signed up (and paid $10 each) for a pancake breakfast and a tour of the farm and the maple sugaring process. Unfortunately, the $10 pancake breakfast consisted of 2 droopy, thin, from-a-mix pancakes, 1 rubbery, suspicous sausage and a small scoop of homefried potatoes. The Pièce de Résistance was that all of this was doused in a ladle-full of maple syrup. We were also politely informed as we went to refill our plates that, "There are no seconds." We thought, as our bellies grumbled hungrily, "At least it's good, authentic maple syrup," only to see empty bottles of maple syrup from Costco in the trash bins as we left. :) Drumlin Farms pulled a fast one on us, that's for sure!




After breakfast our spirits brightened considerably as we toured the farm. We saw some cool birds, including the exotic American Crow and a Striped Skunk. I have to say that one of the highlights of my morning, though, were the adorable week-old baby lambs and goats in the barn.

We also got to see, and taste, the sap directly from the maple tree trunks. It tastes mostly like water, with a tiny bit of sugar. Apparently it's only 2% sugar, so they have to collect gallons and gallons of sap to make a little bit of maple syrup. Then, we got to see how they boil the sap down for hours, and got to taste the syrup at the half-way stage. It was verrrry sweet! Lastly, I got to do a blind taste test of real maple syrup vs. the commercial, synthetic maple syrup. I'm sorry to say that there was no contest: neither Aunt Jemima nor Mrs. Butterworth could hold a candle to pure maple syrup. My discerning tongue and developed palate could easily taste the difference. :)

So in conclusion, although we were still pretty bitter about the breakfast scam (we didn't even buy any Drumlin Farms maple syrup!), I had fun and was happy to learn all about one of my favorite foods.

Brandon and Rob decided our lunch leftovers needed to look like a
face...the tongue is a pickle.

We also got to make up for the minimal breakfast with an early lunch at a steakhouse with Brandon and Becca on the way home. It was a fun morning!