Maple syrup is much more than just a topping for waffles or pancakes. Bake with it and use it as a sweetener. 

In baking: substitute ¼ to 1 cup of maple syrup for 1 cup of white sugar; decrease the liquid used in the recipe by 2 to 4 tablespoons; add ¼ to ½ teaspoon of baking soda and decrease the oven temperature by 25 degrees to avoid an overly caramelized dish.

Using as a sweetener: try adding a tablespoon of maple syrup to a balsamic vinaigrette, to your morning oatmeal, to granola, as a festive coffee sweetener or to give your roasted winter vegetables a deeper flavor. There are 54 calories per tablespoon. That makes 216 calories in one-fourth cup.

 Native Americans living in the northeast part of North America were making maple syrup a long time before the arrival of European settlers. Using an early method of tapping the sweet sap from the maple trees, these early tribes rendered the juice into a source of high-calorie winter food. Once learning...