Preparation / Directions:
One of the oldest, and most popular, winter traditions in New England is a "sugaring off" party. Toward the end of, maple syrup season, children are invited to local sugar farms for a winter treat. Everyone is given a plate of fresh, clean snow onto which boiling hot maple syrup is poured. The syrup instantly hardens into one of the most appealing candies imaginable -- icy cold, syrup sweet, with, a candy-like consistency. Enjoy this old tradition at your house after a blanket of fresh snow has fallen. Simmer some pure maple syrup; for best results it should register 2320F on a candy thermometer, or it won't crystallize. (Note: Make sure to keep younger children away from the boiling hot syrup.) Scoop clean fresh snow onto plates or into cones made from rolled-up paper, and pour the hot syrup on top. Bizarre as it may sound, old-time New England "sugar-on-snow" feasts used to be accompanied by sour pickles and doughnut
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