“More and more people are cooking with maple syrup,” says Kathie Brown, who helps run her husband Dan’s family maple farm, Bonhomie Acres, in Fredericktown. “You can hardly open a magazine or watch a cooking show without seeing maple used.” The Browns’ kitchen is no exception, with Kathie using it in pecan bars and roasted chicken alike. She credits one family favorite, however, to her mother-in-law, Kate:  a take on kettle corn that uses syrup and maple sugar to create a crunchy, sweet and salty snack. “It’s just delicious,” says Brown. “I make it in a great big roasting pan. It doesn’t last very long.


Maple Popcorn

INGREDIENTS
1 cup butter
2 cups maple sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
6–8 quarts popped popcorn

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 250 F. Boil butter, maple sugar, maple syrup and salt for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda. Pour mixture over popcorn and bake in a large roasting pan for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.