Map out your trek for treats

MARTY BASCH

C’MON, GET SYRUPY

Pure maple flavor elevates recipes for grilled salmon, short ribs, and pancakes in ways the fake stuff cannot match. Burr Morse, a seventh-generation maple sugar maker in central Vermont, sells 100 percent pure maple cream, syrup, sugar, and kettle corn at Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks in Montpelier.

In winter, his farm becomes a Nordic ski and snowshoe touring center. Year-round, try traditional Vermont maple sugar on “snow’’ (crushed ice) with raised donuts and dill pickles.

Give as a gift his First Night Maple Syrup made from the season’s first sap run, with its delicate flavor. Crated bottles of the amber syrup resemble fine bourbon. 1168 County Road, 800-242-2740, www.morsefarm.com, Crated First Night Maple Syrup $29.50

JANET MENDELSOHN

NEED AN OUTLET?

Outlet shopping is a hit or miss sport. Increase the odds of scoring a deal in tax-free New Hampshire at the 60-plus shops of North Conway’s Settlers’ Green Outlet Village. There are some new stores among the familiar shops ringed by mountains on the ski town’s well-known Route 16.

Shoppers will find Talbots, the women’s clothing, shoes, and accessories store; and Under Armour, an outlet for today’s athletes. The guy chairs near the door at Coach are welcome as women shop for handbags. Standards include sampling the treats at Harry & David. Find something sporty at Eddie Bauer or adventurous at Banana Republic. The Sunglass Hut has shades for all seasons, while bling is the thing behind the sparkling displays at Zales.

Let the kids work off the slices of Brandli’s pizza in the courtyard playground. A Dec. 5 holiday tree festival with horse-powered wagon rides and mini-tubing park will prepare shoppers for another blustery Mount Washington Valley winter. Route 16, 888-667-9636, settlersgreen.com, website has special offer couponsMARTY BASCH