Introduction: The Sweetest Gathering Around
My youngest sister’s partner grew up tapping trees every spring with his family. Last year, he started up again, this time with my sister and the rest of our dinner party crew, minus me. I was far too pregnant, and the Crocs I was limited to wearing would not have scaled the hill to the spot.
They had a great haul this year, and we joined them around the fire quite a few times while it boiled down. It’s about a 40:1 ratio of sap to syrup. It’s a lot of work, but if you have ever tried it, it’s well worth it. This is especially true when someone else has done all the work. Even if you don’t have access to your own sugar bush, you can still host your own sugar bush dinner party!
Decor: A Maple Masterpiece
My sister purchased little tiny pails and maple leaf string lights from the Dollar Store. On everyone’s plates, they put a small glass jar of their own maple syrup, tied with a piece of twine. The setup turned out adorable, and everyone was very happy to take home their treat at the end of the night.
Menu: Syrup, Spice and Everything Nice!
I can confidently say that this was the best meal we have had in all of our rounds of dinner parties. From start to finish, everything was divine.
Starting strong, we enjoyed smoked maple cream cheese (yes, they had broken out the smoker just to smoke cream cheese) with some crackers and vegetables. I was starving and ate half the brick of cream cheese myself.
For dinner, we enjoyed beautiful maple peanut butter-glazed salmon cooked in a pizza oven. We had maple-glazed beans, maple bacon brussels sprouts, potatoes and a salad with a maple dressing on the side.
It didn’t stop there. They made a delicious Canadian Coffee after dinner, where instead of water, they used the sap they collected from the trees. It was finished with some Cabot Trail Maple Cream Liqueur, whipped cream and sprinkles. All of us were stuffed, but when asked if we were ready for dessert, we still said an enthusiastic yes.
My sister made blondies the day before and crumbled them up as the base for a maple sundae. She made a maple butter cream sauce to top it, along with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Post-Dinner Snacks: Rating Maple Treats
There were quite a few points throughout the evening when I felt like I had eaten too much. The post-dinner maple snack taste test and rating was probably where I crossed a line. My sister ordered several maple treats from Amazon for us to try.
Here is the list of treats, in order of my preference
- Pop Daddy’s Flaboured Preztle Sticks – maple and brown butter? You can’t go wrong.
- Turkey Hill Sugar Bush Premium Maple Candies. We tried the blueberry and lemon. I was partial to the blueberry.
- Dragon Fire Spicy Maple Popcorn. To be fair, I think we had a stale batch. It wasn’t my favourite and I didn’t find it particularly spicy.
Final Thoughts: Was it Worth It?
Did my stomach hurt at 3 in the morning while I was trying to get my daughter back to sleep? Yes. Would I eat the same meal again in a heartbeat? Absolutely. You should absolutely host a sugar bush dinner party for your friends and family!
If you want to explore another aspect of the springtime, think about hosting your own Bug-Themed Dinner Party.
Gifts for Your Host: Sweet Nothings
You can’t go wrong with a maple-flavoured treat, and Pop Daddy’s Flavoured Pretzel Sticks are a real winner.
