We grew up having plain Karo syrup, on pancakes made from a mix. No wonder I never cared much for pancakes as a kid.
From the day I first tasted real maple syrup (as an adult), I never looked back. Can’t stand the fake stuff. And I have to make my pancakes from scratch, too.
When our daughter was small we would collect clean, freshly-fallen snow and pour maple syrup over it. De-lish!
Grade B or nothing. Yes I do stock up on it at Trader Joe’s when I manage to get there.
My cousins who own property in Vermont let a neighbor tap their trees for a cut of the syrup. They don’t even have to settle for Grade B. I think it is more like a C. Sooooooo good!
" He, however, thought it was sacrilege that my tomato sauce didn’t start with several pounds of fresh tomatoes."
This is how non-foodie I am (and that my family was). When I started dating H, I remember seeing his mother make some kind of homemade spaghetti sauce from tomatoes they had in their backyard. I had never seen such a thing. Spaghetti sauce comes from a jar; why would I bother with all that work? LOL.
But again, I really think I don’t have much of a discriminating palate. People rave about homemade cooking and honestly, I don’t really see much of a difference, even with people who are supposedly “good cooks” (which I am not). I am in India now (where the food is DELICIOUS!) but when I get back home I’ll have to try this maple syrup and see if I think it’s any different from the probably-two-year-old bottle of Log Cabin / Mrs. Butterworth / Aunt Jemima / whatever that’s in my fridge!
Grade B ftw. And if you never had maple cream, maple sugar, or maple candy you are missing out. Maple cream spreads like peanut butter. The only downside to real maple syrup is it is usually very thin so it soaks into pancakes instead of coating the outside. But you don’t need as much of it. Food is one of those things you need to spend extra money on to be happy. It is worth it.
There is nothing wrong with corn syrup, other than the enormous quantities of it in the typical US diet. Chemically, it is most similar to honey (high in fructose).
ONLY REAL maple syrup! ONLY
It’s much cheaper at Costco or Sams Club.
@Pizzagirl, I think is one of the things you should put on your plate (so to speak!) when you retire - to investigate, savor and discover the wonder that is good, fresh, pure, delicious food!!! Kids often don’t develop a palate when they are young but they change as they get older - you can too!
That is so true abasket . I am waiting for that to kick in with my youngest 
Me too @lje62!! She is getting there! The older two went that same route and are not adventurous diners and cooks!
Just made Sunday breakfast - blueberry pancakes - had to examine my Costco pure maple syrup jug because of this thread - only grade A - guess I have some upgrading to do!!!
Haha - had to share this! Saw this on one of my favorite blogs this morning - the answer to: “why do maple syrup containers have tiny handles?”!!!
http://www.thekitchn.com/why-do-maple-syrup-containers-have-tiny-handles-173193?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=managed
^^ I just saw the same thing on FB…I guess we follow some of the same pages !
My kids are both big foodies, and love to cook. They have different styles…DD is gluten free and seeks interesting recipes for that. DS is adventurous, and tries new things. Even his everyday eating is all about the taste…and presentation.
Believe me, they didn’t get that from any of the adults here!!
I taught both of my older kids how to cook, and we ate a variety of foods at home. My grown son describes cooking as “doing battle with food”, though he does know how to cook. My older D was the pickiest eater on the planet and grew up to…work in restaurant kitchens. At one job, she even suggested that they offer vegetarian dishes that mimicked the traditional “Chicago style” deli foods they served, and created some of the recipes! This from a kid who once ate only two vegetables-peas and corn.
Apologies if my comments a few post above got the post off course…maybe a new thread on “former picky kids”??? 
Post 75–no, sugar shock not shack or house.
abasket-it IS related. The one who hates to cokk likes real maple syrup. The foodie will only eat the fake stuff. Go figure.
Grade B is hard to find. The only place I’ve seen it is Trader Joe’s. Which is why I stock up when I’m there.
We get grade B all the time. It is also less expensive than the higher grades.
I grew up in a town with lots of maple trees. We only use real maple syrup.
@Pizzagirl, if you are used to the Log Cabin type, you might not even like the “earthier” real maple syrups. DH doesn’t like them at all and prefers the fake. He thinks some of the maple syrups are kind of bitter or strange tasting.