Wednesday, September 24th ~ Driving through Vermont and into New York
Maple syrup
I’ve certainly been wine tasting before, but today was a first for us – Maple Syrup tasting!
There were four different types of pure maple syrup for us to sample at the Vermont Country Store in Rockingham.
“Early season sap produces the lightest, most delicately flavored syrup, while darker, more richly flavored syrup is produced when temperatures rise toward the end of the spring “sugaring” season. It’s important to note that grades do not indicate quality; instead, they denote color and taste differences.” ~ VCS
- Vermont Fancy or Grade A Light Amber has a delightful mild maple flavor
- Grade A Medium Amber is known for its classic maple flavor and amber color
- Grade A Dark Amber has a hearty maple flavor and deep amber color
- Grade B has the richest, most robust maple flavor and deepest amber color
Both Tim and I thought that the Grade A Medium Amber was our favorite, but we were amazed at the difference in each one. They also had a cook book featuring recipes for each type as well as a convenient sampler pack.
The store itself was fun and offered up some unusual and unique products:
Anti Monkey Butt
Tired Old Ass splash and soap
Today was really about getting some miles down the road, so we did not make many stops to sight see or take photos, however I did snap a couple.
Grist Mill
Makes sense to me…
Do you know why a covered bridge is sometimes called a kissing bridge? According to a sign on the side of the bridge:
“Back in the horse and buggy days, a covered bridge was a place for young lovers to grab a quick hug or private kiss. Because of this, the Vermont covered bridges got nicknamed “kissing bridges”. A slow horse, a long bridge and a willing girl could even produce two kisses.”
Kissing Bridge
A little more color to finish off the day!
Gratitude Moment: Today I am grateful for having another new experience. Sampling the different grades and types of maple syrup was SWEET!
A Note From Abroad 
Yum! I would love to have a maple syrup sampling session! Our children love maple syrup, which is pretty expensive here in Scotland. Sometimes we give our son a bottle, and he just appreciates it so much. Funny story behind the name “kissing bridge”. Thanks for sharing your adventures.
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Hi Tim & Joanne! I’m new to your blog and loving it so far. I just had to skip ahead to your Vermont post because I (Crystal) am a native of that great state. As a self proclaimed maple syrup snob, I am always so happy to find other Grade A Medium Amber lovers. My family makes fun of me and says “Real Vermonters only eat Grade B.” Grade B is the most concentrated and has the most maple flavor, true, but I find the A Medium Amber to have a lovely balance. Happy you noticed that as well!
I hope some day our list of places travelled can parallel your own here. Keep on adventuring!
– Crystal
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Crystal, we real maple syrup lovers must stick together! I’m almost out of “the good stuff” and just may have to return to Vermont to stock up again 🙂
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Never settle for anything less! =)
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Welcome to my neck of the woods~ Maple ice cream.. is sooo good!
Vermont gold 🙂
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Almost out of the “real” maple syrup. Perhaps that means it is time for a return visit? 😃
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