One of the benefits of living in West Virginia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, on the corners of the states, is syrup: both maple and hickory.
Sitting in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, in the Blue Ridge Mountains, is this one – and it is some of the best I have ever had. They show up randomly at farmers’ markets, and I try not pass them up.
One I can only buy in summer and fall, before everything shuts down for the winter. They come from the middle of the state, deep in the mountains.
Everywhere I travel, at every farmers’ market, I look for a local seller and pick up a jug.
I did a syrup tasting with the boys back in the fall – because why not? We used Costco’s maple syrup as the base syrup.
Yes, Costco lost to every local syrup we tested. It was watery, thin, and light in flavor and color. Look at that color of a local one!
Since we moved here, I have pushed myself to explore and support local first. Maple Syrup isn’t something I can produce here, so I might as well support local growers.
(The golden star in the upper right is where I live, in Jefferson County in the Eastern Panhandle.)
~Sarah