This summer I had the opportunity to return to the wilderness area where I grew up on the Canadian border of Minnesota. I spent the summer living on a maple-covered ridge that runs through the boreal forest. This is one of the truly wild places left in America. I had visits from bears foraging blueberries and red raspberries, a bobcat, deer and fox. A local pack of timber wolves serenaded me nightly (and sometimes in the middle of the day as well). Squirrels harvesting hazelnuts pretty much drove my Corgi, Georgia, crazy for a month. A family of sharp-shinned hawks stayed a month and owls called out in the night. I spent the 4 months painting the landscape- the rocky shore of Lake Superior, the beautiful white birch, cedars along the Cascade River, stands of dark spruce and pines contrasted by the flaming reds and oranges of the September maples. It was a grand time and I came away feeling once again connected to place and alive in a way only closeness to nature can give you.
So I as thought about what I wanted to create in chocolate this fall, I naturally turned to the forest for my flavor choices.
To celebrate the northern trees that housed me I'm offering 2 barks (of course!) called the Birch Bark and the Hazelnut Bark, three new truffle flavors and a new turtle.
My ode to the pines and spruce trees is the Rosemary-Scented  Truffle since fresh rosemary has a great pine scent. But put it in chocolate and it becomes a different thing all together. I tested this flavor on 20 people and only one guessed rosemary (and she had a hint). Everyone thought it was sensational and I concur.
One fall day I drove along the gold and orange covered ridge for miles to Wild Country Maple Syrup to pick up gallons of the beautiful dark maple syrup that cooks and bakers long for because of its potent maple flavor. When I got home I tested 5 different maple candy recipes trying to find the perfect one. I couldn't choose between the caramel and the truffle (well, who can?) so I decided to make both the Maple-Sweetened Truffle and the Maple-Walnut Turtle . I've long wanted to make a passion fruit and dark chocolate truffle, and I think the Chocolate Passion represents my rekindled love for my forest home and its bounty.
So there you have it. The Forest Collection. I hope you enjoy it, and it evokes for you the splendor of the maple ridge, the shelter of the pines, and the majesty of the birch.
You'll find all the descriptions on the truffles and turtles pages and how to order them on the order page.