Whole Wheat Pancakes and Local Maple Syrup

Few things are more wonderful than buying locally grown food. There are Farmer's Markets and CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture), as well as farm stands. It is almost painful to buy certain ingredients, such as honey, milk and maple syrup, from large grocery chains.

One reason to do this is that the foods are minimally processed, making them often more flavorful and nutritious. And there are also broader economic and cultural reasons. By eliminating the middle man, farmers do not have to share their profits with a third party. It also allows for relationships to develop between the food providers and their customers. For these reasons and more, it is useful to minimize the "food miles" accumulated by what we eat.

A Local Sugar House

Here is a recipe I have evolved over the years for Whole Wheat Pancakes:

• 1 cup organic whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup unprocessed wheat bran
• 4 Tablespoons raw wheat germ
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon Turbinado sugar
• 1 3/4 cups whole milk
• 1 egg
• 1 Tablespoon canola oil

As well as local maple syrup, I use raw milk from a local dairy farm and our own organic, free range eggs. Then, I just put a small amount of butter a hot pan before each scoop of pancake batter goes in.