After countless hours of collecting sap and boiling it down in our Sugar Shack this weekend, the Friends of Darke County Parks’ gift shop has pure Maple Syrup ready for you to take home.  Believe it or not, maple syrup is a very healthy food.  Maple sugar is 3 times as sweet as cane sugar and it has fewer calories and a lower glycemic index.  A tablespoon of Maple syrup has around 40 calories where a tablespoon of cane sugar has around 55.  Plus as an added benefit, pure maple syrup is also an excellent source of the minerals manganese and zinc, which are important allies to our immune system.  Many of the syrups you buy in the grocery store do not contain ANY maple syrup; their main ingredient is corn syrup with added maple flavoring.  All maple syrup available in the Nature Center’s Gift Shop was made from sap collected from trees here in Darke County and cooked by the staff and many volunteers of the Park District in our Sugar Shack.  Prices range from $8.00 to $13.50.  So come out to the Nature Center gift shop to buy our pure maple syrup at 4267 St. Rt. 502 West, Greenville, OH.  Call 937.548.0165 for more information or email at info@darkecountyparks.org   Support the Darke County Park District and its mission of Education, Conservation and Preservation.