We’re No. 2: Maple Sugaring in New York

expect your visit this year to be a little different from other sugarhouse visits you may have experienced in the past. Call well in advance to ensure that the sugar house is participating in Maple Weekend or is otherwise open to visitors. Many agritourism businesses have begun selling tickets online or taking reservations to ensure that they can safely accommodate that many visitors at a time. This strategy also allows them enough time to clean commonly touched areas between household groups.

Of course, wear a mask. Although many of the activities could be outdoors, you should be prepared to cover up.

Wear appropriate clothing and footwear. Usually, these events carry on rain or shine, so dress for the weather and wear non-skid boots. Maple farms often have uneven ground and slick, wet leaves underfoot.

Support the business by picking up a few items at the gift shop. In addition to maple syrup, most maple farms also sell maple cream, maple candy, maple sugar, pancake mix and other local goods.

Snap a few photos of your family on the farm to post on social media. This kind of promotion helps farms generate more interest in their operation. Plus, you can relive the memories made on the farm.

To learn where to go to tour a maple farm and to learn more about the state’s maple industry, visit the New York State Maple Producers Association website at https://nysmaple.com.

Hot Chocolate • Chocolate or other sprinkles • Flavored powdered coffee creamMix to Give er • Cinnamon candies (look among the sprinkles) By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant You may find some other tasty mix-ins, but the key to success is using

Asmall items that melt in hot liquid. rich cup of hot chocolate is the You could also enclose in a plastic perfect way to warm up on a bag and tie to the side of the jar with a frosty day. During the winter ribbon: months, give a festive jar of homemade • Chocolate “spoon” formed by cocoa mix for any occasion, from a pouring melting coating chocolate holiday to a birthday. In a pinch, you wafers into a spoon shape on waxed can dress up store-bought mix by add- paper (allow to completely harden ing a couple of stir-in ingredients for before bagging). You can also add a welcome present someone of any age sprinkles to the bowl of the spoon would enjoy. before it hardens.

The Mix: • Five-inch lengths of cinnamon 2 cups nonfat dry milk powder sticks dipped in coating chocolate. (name-brand milk dissolves better) • Candy canes dipped in coating 2 cups confectioner’s sugar chocolate. 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder • Large marshmallows dipped in ⅛ teaspoon salt coating chocolate. You can also add

Mix all ingredients in a blender or sprinkles to the chocolate before it food processor until thoroughly com- hardens. bined. Place the mix in a canning jar Doll up your jar by inserting a with stir-in ingredients on top. For the photo, pretty fabric, wrapping pastir-ins, pick miniature chocolate chips per between the jar ring and lid. Or and/or marshmallows with one other upcycle used greeting cards, postcards stir-in item per jar. (More than one or toy circular photo. Tie a ribbon would be overpowering, unless they around the jar below the jar’s rim. share the same flavor, such as crushed Don’t forget to include the direccandy canes and mint flavored chips tions. Copy them onto a small noteor peanut butter chips and miniature card and tie to the side with a ribbon: peanut butter cups.) All of these are Combine ¼ cup of mix with 1 cup of available in the baking aisle: hot water. Stir well. • Crushed Andes mint candy Consider giving the jar in a basket • Crushed Heath candy with a pair of mugs or a set of coast• Crushed candy canes ers. You could also box it up with a • White chocolate chips whole bag of extra marshmallows, • Butterscotch chips which can help cushion the jar against • Mint flavored chips breakage. Enclose the above recipe • Peanut butter chips printed on a card so your recipient can • Miniature peanut butter cups make his own to enjoy and make for • Miniature M&Ms candies someone else. 2020 / 2021 CNY WINTER GUIDE 23