Concord has loads of delicious maple treats

By Jon Bodell - Mar 21, 2017 | 0 comments

Try some maple walnut fudge from Caring Gifts.(JON BODELL / Insider staff)

Add some sweetness to your morning caffeine with this Old Time Maple Coffee from Caring Gifts. (JON BODELL / Insider staff)

This Maple Bacon Onion Jam at Caring Gifts is proof that maple isn't just for your pancakes anymore.(JON BODELL / Insider staff)

Need some ideas? Caring Gifts has this cook book of 100 maple recipes, which you should buy if you want to impress your friends at your next maple party.(JON BODELL / Insider staff)

At Marketplace New England, you'll see a little display of all maple stuff right in the middle of the store. How convenient!(JON BODELL / Insider staff)

Top: Both Marketplace New England (left) and Granite State Candy Shoppe have sections of their stores dedicated to fine maple treats. Above, from left: Sweet meets savory in the form of this Maple Bacon Onion Jam by Stonewall Kitchen at Caring Gifts. Granite State Candy just created these Dark Chocolate Maple Pecan Buttercreams. Caring Gifts has Old Time Maple Coffee. Some maple cheesecake mix from Marketplace New England.

If you want an adult beverage with some maple sweetness to it, try this Hopped Blueberry Maple mead from Sap House Meadery in Center Ossipee, available at Marketplace New England. (JON BODELL / Insider staff)

Granite State Candy Shoppe has a whole rack dedicated to maple candies. How is one supposed to pick just one?(JON BODELL / Insider staff)

Granite State Candy Shoppe just created these bad boys: Dark Chocolate Maple Pecan Buttercreams. It's basically a maple cream dipped in dark chocolate then coated in pecan pieces. The result is a staggeringly delicious little treat.(JON BODELL / Insider staff)

If you’re a certified maple addict, you really lucked out this week.

Since this is the Maple Issue, and since maple trees produce edible products, we thought it would be a good idea to scour the city looking for as many maple treats as we could find. Whenever the task calls for going out looking for tasty treats across the city, we’re ready and willing to answer the call.

Here’s a little sampling – once again, in true Insider form, we’ve likely missed several places that offer nice maple products, so don’t consider this the definitive list of all things maple in Concord. It’s just a little selection to get you started.

Classics

When you think of maple treats, the first thing that comes to mind should be syrup. It’s basically the only maple product many of us ever deal with. Well, that and those maple candies in the shape of leaves.

We found plenty of these maple staples, including: several types of syrup and candies at Marketplace New England, Caring Gifts and Granite State Candy Shoppe. We also found classic maple walnut fudge at Caring Gifts and maple walnut ice cream at Arnie’s Place, as well as a whole Maple Saurus Sundae at Granite State Candy, complete with real Granite State maple syrup drizzled on top. Crust and Crumb had some maple shortbread flying off the shelves, too.

If you haven’t hit up these places yet, you should.

Unconventionals

We love anything different, even when it comes to food. That’s why we took special note of several maple items we found on our travels that surprised us.

Take the artisan vinegar at Marketplace New England, for example. It’s vinegar made with honey and maple syrup, and you’d use it the way you’d use ordinary vinegar. That store also has maple blueberry mead, a wine made from honey instead of grapes, and maple cheesecake mix.

If you’re thirsty for some sudsy maple, you can try Beara Irish Brewing Co.’s NH Maple Wheat Ale at the Concord Food Co-op. Or, if you need a little kick, try some Old Time Maple Coffee from Caring Gifts.

You really can’t go wrong with any of these options.