Intertribal Life Newspaper -

Dear Friends,

I hope this winter is going fast for you as it seems to be here in the Northeast U.S. Either that or I have been rushing about too much.

From everything I've been reading about maple sugaring, it is supposed to be a very good year because of the warmer days and cooler nights. Not only that but people are looking for healthier sources of sweet. As far as that goes, honey and maple sugar or syrup top the list.

Always buy authentic maple syrup as other maple syrups don't compare taste-wise. The flavor of maple is so good with many uses: on pancakes, as fudge, in hermits and other baked goods. But our alltime favorite is the one below, and, it could not be more Native or more delicious!

Wild Rice with Real Maple Syrup

Oh, yeah, it is simple too! All you need is cooked and chilled wild rice.

Spoon the rice into serving dishes.

For four servings, pour about a quarter cup of warm maple syrup over each serving and that's it!

For extra delicious, but it isn't Native put a dollop of creme fraiche whipped cream on top.

A Very Cranberry Treat

Cranberries are so totally Native and versatile.

We use dried cranberries with, and in place of raisins. Along with blueberries and Concord grapes, cranberries are true Native American foods.

Cranberry Bread

2 cups flour

¾ cup light brown sugar

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon allspice

½ teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon baking powder

¾ cup orange juice

2 eggs

½ stick unsalted butter, melted

1½ cups cranberries

1 tablespoon finely grated orange rind

½ teaspoon cinnamon, optional

½ cup chopped walnuts, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and grease a regular bread pan. Sift flour, sugar, salt, allspice, baking powder, and cinnamon into a large mixing bowl. In the middle of the sifted ingredients put the vanilla, orange juice, eggs and melted butter. Walnuts, cranberries and grated orange rind should be folded in. Put into the greased bread pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool thoroughly.

Dale Carson, Abenaki, is an author who has written about and demonstrated Native cooking techniques for more than 30 years. She has four grown children and lives with her husband in Madison, Connecticut.