Hello Blogosphere. Today someone pointed out to me that I have not posted since the winter holidays. I apologize for not being in touch, believe me it was not intentional. We are transforming the Coombs website, which means meetings with designers and figuring out how to best tell our story. For me, for the people I work with and who I consider family, this new site needs to be a virtual home where fellow maple product lovers can visit for everything from what is going on in the maple industry to a recipe from my breakfast table. Please continue to be patient with my absence from this blog while I get the site in order and start looking for new posts the end of April. – Arnold
Thank you Jon for this photo, I love it and all the others you took during your visit to the farm. I look forward to sharing those this spring!!
Great parties, heartfelt gifts and a house full of family and friends fill the holiday season with fun, food and lasting memories! To help make your holidays even more festive, we want to share some of our maple Favorite Holiday Recipes with you! The maple-icious trio below includes two hors d’oeuvres (we call ’em appetizers in New England) and a Maple Glazed Ham entrée guaranteed to make your holiday party the merriest ever! Jingle Bells!
Happy Holidays from Coombs Family Farms!
Post your favorite maple-inspired holiday recipes this fall and you could win a gift basket of Coombs Family Farms maple goodies!
Baked Camembert with Maple and Cranberries
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup Coombs Family Farms 100% pure or organic maple syrup
6 oz fresh whole cranberries
Zest of one clementine
1 – 32- to 36-ounce Camembert (or Brie)
Bring water and syrup to a boil in saucepan. Add cranberries and zest. Boil gently for about 7 minutes or until sauce is thickened. Cool completely and refrigerate. Preheat oven to 350°F. Unwrap Camembert and cut away large circle in top rind of cheese, leaving rind on sides and bottom intact. Spread sauce on top of cheese. Bake on baking sheet until cheese just melts, about 20 minutes.
Maple Bacon Sea Scallops
2lbs sea scallops, rinsed and patted dry
10 bacon slices (preferably all-natural, no nitrites), cut in half lengthwise
1/2 cup Coombs Family Farms 100% pure or organic maple syrup
Wrap 1/2 slice of bacon snugly around each sea scallop and secure with toothpick. Set scallops on rack over broiler pan. Baste scallops with 1/4 cup maple syrup and broil 5 minutes. Turn scallops over and baste with remaining 1/4 cup maple syrup. Broil another 5 minutes or until bacon is crispy. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Maple Glazed Ham
1 (12-14 lb) fully cooked ham
Whole cloves
3 T Dijon mustard
1/4 cup Coombs Family Farms 100% pure organic maple syrup
Preheat oven to 350 F. Trim fat, leaving a 1/4-inch layer. Using the tip of a sharp knife, score the fat in a diamond pattern. Insert the cloves in the crossed point of each diamond. Mix mustard and syrup together in small bowl. Pour syrup mixture onto ham and spread evenly. Bake for 1 1/2 hours, or 10 minutes per pound.
Falling leaves, football and cooler temps go together like fleece pullovers and comfort foods in a cozy New England kitchen. While the grilling season continues till the snow flies, who can resist some hot oven lovin’ after a hike through the woods or raking leaves in the crisp fall air?
Go For the Extra Point: Oven-Baked Maple Muffins
You’ve got ‘em where you want ‘em, but don’t stop now. Pour it on with baked Banana Maple Walnut Muffins hot and fresh from your oven. You’ve scored again, but everyone you served is a winner in this game of maple inspired deliciousness!
Enter Your Maple Comfort Food Recipe & Win a Maple Gift Basket!
Post your favorite maple-inspired comfort food recipe this fall and you could win gift basket of Coombs Family Farms maple goodies!
Banana Maple Walnut Muffins
2 cups flour
1/2 cup Coombs Family Farms 100% pure organic maple syrup, or 3/4 cup Coombs Family Farms maple sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup buttermilk (1/4 cup if using maple sugar)
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup mashed ripe banana
1 large egg
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease muffin tin. Combine dry ingredients in large bowl. Cut in butter, then add the buttermilk, vanilla, banana and egg. Fold in walnuts. Spoon dough into prepared muffin tins and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown.
Could anything be more heavenly on a warm summer’s day than a frosty adult beverage, a crisp tossed salad brimming with farm fresh greens topped by vine-ripened tomatoes, and your favorite entrée sizzling hot off the grill? Well, yes… there is a way to make your summer fun foods and beverages even better – and tastier — with the flavorful magic of maple…
… And We’ve Got The Goods!
Check out our hottest summer maple recipes featuring everything from Maple Mojitos and Chile Lime Swordfish to Maple Teriyaki Chicken Wings and Maple Spinach Salad. Of course, every Coombs Family Farms recipe is summer-certified perfect for the patio and delicious on the deck!
Could Your Favorite Summertime Dessert Get Any Better?
Yes again! With maple syrup or maple sugar instead of that over-processed white stuff! Why not try pan-roasting walnuts in a little butter then caramelize them with a splash of fresh Coombs Family Farms maple syrup. Top off your favorite ice cream with these warm & crunchy delights and just sit back and watch the smiles appear! Ah summertime; sweet, sweet summertime!
Enter Your Maple Magic Recipe & Win a Maple Gift Basket!
Post your favorite maple-inspired recipe and you could win gift basket of Coombs Family Farms maple goodies!
Maple Cocktail Recipes
Seventh Generation Maple-tini
Replace sweet vermouth with Coombs Family Farms 100% pure organic maple syrup, add bourbon, strain in a martini glass and serve with fresh apple slice.
Old Fashioned with VT Twist
Muddle orange and cherry in the bottom of an Old Fashioned glass with a half shot of Coombs Family Farms 100% pure organic maple syrup. Fill glass with ice, add whiskey, and top with a splash of soda.
Hot Buttered Maple Rum
Combine one tsp Coombs Family Farms 100% pure organic maple syrup, 1 tsp butter, and stick cinnamon, two cloves in a mug. Pour in dark rum and stir. Add boiling water and stir again; top with nutmeg and serve.
OK, July is officially “National Grilling Month”… so what? Who wants to wait that long for the aroma of burgers, veggie-kabobs or skewers of shrimp sizzling over an open fire? Remember that whiff of sirloin that made your eyes roll to the back of your head? The glazed salmon that made you fight back a manly tear of joy? If this is causing some Pavlovian response in you, its time. And if YOU have a mouth-watering maple grilling recipe, post it now and you could be our American Grilling Idol with a BIG basket of maple gifts to prove it!
So Much to Grill, So Little Time
Before you light your fire, don’t forget to add the “secret ingredient” to your favorite grill recipe. Coombs Family Farms is proud to say that our “secret ingredient” (hint – organic maple) has turned grilling heroes into Barbeque Superstars. Check out our hot new maple recipes like Chile Lime Swordfish, Barbecued Pork Ribs, or Spicy Sweet Sausage and Peppers. Can’t pass up a flame-broiled steak? Try our Asian Flank Steak recipe and get ready to be impressed – and impress! And if you prefer to create your own BBQ sauce masterpiece, mix it up with our delicious Maple Chipotle Barbecue Sauce (below). Of course, these sweet and savory grilling and barbecue recipes are all made with Coombs Family Farms 100% pure organic maple syrup. Try one tonight and tell us if you become the next American Grilling Idol!
Win an American Grilling Idol Maple Gift Basket!
Come on and post your favorite maple-inspired recipe! And, if our select panel of barbeque fanatics agree its “best in blog” you’ll get a gift basket of Coombs Family Farms maple goodies! You post it; we’ll grill it!
Maple Chipolte Barbecue Sauce
Ingredients
3 large chipolte chiles in adobo sauce
¼ cup tomato ketchup
¼ cup Coombs Family Farms 100% pure orgnaic maple syrup
1 cup chicken broth
1/8 tsp ground allspice
1 T onion, minced
2 large cloves garlic, smashed, peeled & minced
Salt & pepper to taste
1 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
Preparation
In a blender combine first 5 ingredients. Heat oil until hot but not smoking in medium saucepan, over moderately high heat; add onion and garlic and cook 5 minutes until golden. Add chipotle puree, season with salt and pepper and cook over low heat until thickened, 15 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and allow to cool. Makes about 1 cup.
Spending as much time as I do on the farm, out on the snow-covered pastures and in the forest groves, I can’t help but feel a deep sense of connection. It’s a connection that bonds me to my family, and my family to these ancient maples rising up into the blue Vermont sky. These trees, many of them now over 300 years old, have sustained our way of life for seven generations. Some are the very same trees tended to by my great, great grandfather over 160 years ago. Now, it is my turn – my responsibility — to protect these trees and ensure our small farm lifestyle for future generations.
You Can’t Change the Weather… Can You?
Today, there are many pressures at work that did not exist just a few years ago. Acid rain and pollution now take their toll on our maples and the weather has changed dramatically since the early 1960’s. Now, the season starts two weeks earlier and we, along with other farmers throughout New England, have gone from tapping in early March, to tapping in late February. Many scientists attribute this climate change to global warming caused by increased levels of carbon in the atmosphere. We used to say, “You can’t change the weather.” Well, we might not be able to stop the next blizzard, but we maple farmers have decided to try and fight the detrimental changes to our fragile climate in any way we can.
Small Farms are Making a BIG Commitment to Sustainability
Sugarmakers are doing a lot to reduce carbon emissions. Coombs Family Farms now uses energy saving reverse osmosis evaporators that reduce carbon emissions. This reverse osmosis process reduces our syrup-making energy consumption by 75%! By using energy efficient reverse osmosis, health spouts, tubing and other Earth-friendly maple collection equipment, Coombs and other small independent farms in New England are reducing their carbon footprint. It seems like a small step, but with each bottle of maple syrup made, it all adds up.
Customers Support New England’s Small Farm Heritage
Sustainability is now more important than ever to maintaining our forests and farms for generation after generation. Year after year, more small farms disappear from our national landscape. Coombs Family Farms is committed to environmental sustainability and to the hard working individuals who struggle every day to maintain our American small farm heritage. When customers buy Coombs Family Farms maple syrup products, they support independent family farmers in New England who, in addition to caring about great tasting maple quality, also care about environmental stewardship and sustainable forestry.
The Long View: Coombs Family Farms and the Importance of Sustainability
Caring for Our Maple Forests
Ever wonder how 100% pure maple syrup is made? You know, the real stuff—not the high fructose corn syrup goop sold as “table syrup” that may or may not have any maple in it at all. (While it might not have maple, it could be flavored with an “aroma compound” called sotolon. Mmm, Yummy. And by the way, U.S laws prevent these imitations as being labeled “maple syrup.”)
Well, real maple syrup is all about trees. Maple trees. Sugar Maples (Acer Saccharum to be exact); just like the ones that could be growing in your backyard. You live in Manhattan? Well, it’s like the maple trees you bike or jog under in Central Park. But the syrup doesn’t grow ON the tree – it runs through it as sap. And to get to that sap, you have to tap. Which means you have to have a spout (preferably a narrow diameter tree-friendly “health spout”), a hammer to “tap” in the spout, and a bucket to catch the sap.
Some folks think that this sap that comes from the maple tree is what goes straight into your bottle of maple syrup. Done and ready to pour on those flapjacks. Well, the short answer is no… it’s not. The sap is not very tasty – or sweet — in its raw form. Does that mean it needs added ingredients… like table sugar? No, real maple is 100% pure maple; nothing added. But there is a bit of boiling involved. So, if you want to know how to tap your own maple tree (not the city park’s or your neighbor’s) and make your own maple syrup, take a peek at the video below presented by 7th generation maple farmer Arnold Coombs. It’s fun, it’s easy and even better; it gets you out in that brisk early spring fresh air! So come on, let’s go out and tap a maple tree! (That is, after you view our video below and visit our How to Tap a Maple Tree webpage.)
1/2 cup water
1 (12-14 lb) fully cooked ham
2 cups flour
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