Our Favorite Maple Products (That Aren’t Syrup)

“Maple” doesn’t have to mean syrup…
Credit: Nadine Primeau

Our Favorite Maple Products (That Aren’t Syrup)

When I was a kid growing up in northern New Hampshire, my family would tumble out of the car at the annual town fair and — beelining through the cacophony of buzzers and screaming tilt-a-whirl riders — head for Fuller’s Sugar House. Tucked away near the cow barns and the 4-H creamery stood the shack where, like New England Rumplestiltskins, the staffers spun maple sugar into cotton-candy gold. We’d pick up a bag for every member of the family, plus an extra one for good measure. It was hard not to devour an entire bag immediately, but, in a rare display of childhood self-restraint, I would usually save half. Later in life, I tried maple cream for the first time. And let me tell you: You haven’t lived until you’ve had a piece of buttered toast with maple cream on top. Nowadays my mom keeps a jar or two of Mount Cabot Maple’s maple cream on hand at all times. There’s something in this list for nearly everyone. Fans of savory-sweet combinations will love the maple pepper, maple-smoked cheddar, and maple sriracha, while those with a sweet tooth may prefer to pop open a tub of the aforementioned maple cotton candy. And not everything is meant to be eaten: We found earrings, ceramics, refrigerator magnets, and even art supplies. Ready to take your love for maple to the next level? Read on for our full list of maple-inspired products.