Maple syrup starts with a tree — and the crowd-pleasing flavor it produces, which conjures images of home and New England, buckets hanging from tree trunks and neighbors and family members ...

Glengarry Maple, located in North Lancaster, is another family business offering small-batch syrup and maple specialties.

Beyond its distinctive taste, many wonder if maple syrup has any nutritional benefits that could make it a good alternative sweetener to using sugar.