Sugar maple trees grow in the hardwood forests of the central area of eastern North America. If you live in this area, you have probably made a trip to a sugar bush at some point in your life. You may even have a sugar maple or two growing right in your neighborhood.
Maple syrup is made from the sap of the sugar maple tree. It is collected in the spring, boiled down, packaged and then enjoyed by millions of people around the world.
Maple sap can only be collected in the spring. Indigenous people called this time the maple moon. The cold nights and warming days cause the sap to move up and down the trunk. This movement is what makes it possible to collect the sap. The freezing and thawing of the sap builds up pressure forcing it to flow out through the tap holes.
Maple sap was first collected by indigenous people using hand carved spouts which were inserted into a cut through the outer layers of bark. The sap was collected in bowls made from birch bark. Later, spiles, or metal spouts were used. As the sap dripped from the tree, it was collected in wooden or metal pails. Today, commercial locations use a system of hoses that run from tree to tree and the sap is moved using a vacuum pump to a central location.
Once the sap has been collected, it is boiled until it becomes thick. The ratio of sap to syrup is 40:1. Forty litres of sap must be boiled down to make one litre of syrup. Indigenous people put the sap into a hollowed out log and then put hot rocks into the sap to boil off the water. Later, people filled large vats or kettles with sap and placed it over a hot wood fire. This method is still used today, but commercial operations use large tanks in a sugarhouse and the heat source is often oil, instead of wood.
Commercially produced maple syrup is then graded for color and taste before it is packaged. The darker the syrup, the stronger the flavor. Maple syrup is usually packaged in glass bottles. Sometimes it is sold in metal cans or plastic bottles.
My husband's father had a sugar bush on his farm in the Muskokas. One year he bought some maple sap collecting supplies at a yard sale and decided that he would make maple syrup. He collected the buckets of sap by hand and boiled the sap in a large kettle over a roaring fire. He underestimated how long it would take to boil down the sap and ended up having to sleep overnight in the bush in order to keep an eye on the syrup and the fire. He ended up with several gallons of delicious syrup, but that was the one and only time that he made maple syrup.
Maple syrup is delicious on pancakes, waffles, hot cereal or ice cream. It is used as a sweetener in a wide range of beverages and foods. Try some instead of sugar the next time that you make applesauce...yum!
Buzz Feed has a list of recipe ideas for using maple syrup that they've collected. You can find their list here: "57 Magical Ways to Use Maple Syrup" You can also scroll through the Food Network's maple syrup recipes here: "50 Sweet and Savoury Maple Syrup Recipes"
Here are links to some of my favourite maple flavored recipes:
If you live in an area where maple syrup is made, there are lots of opportunities this time of year to attend a Maple Syrup Festival. It's a great opportunity to see the sugar bush and learn about the process of making maple syrup. You may also get the chance to try some samples! Some festivals also serve up stacks of pancakes. It's a great day trip with friends or family. Check your local media for Maple Syrup Festivals in your area.
The food of gods? You just never know.
🔍To return to the main page, please click on the banner at the top of this page or click on this link: Cupola Corner Blog
Once the sap has been collected, it is boiled until it becomes thick. The ratio of sap to syrup is 40:1. Forty litres of sap must be boiled down to make one litre of syrup. Indigenous people put the sap into a hollowed out log and then put hot rocks into the sap to boil off the water. Later, people filled large vats or kettles with sap and placed it over a hot wood fire. This method is still used today, but commercial operations use large tanks in a sugarhouse and the heat source is often oil, instead of wood.
Commercially produced maple syrup is then graded for color and taste before it is packaged. The darker the syrup, the stronger the flavor. Maple syrup is usually packaged in glass bottles. Sometimes it is sold in metal cans or plastic bottles.
My husband's father had a sugar bush on his farm in the Muskokas. One year he bought some maple sap collecting supplies at a yard sale and decided that he would make maple syrup. He collected the buckets of sap by hand and boiled the sap in a large kettle over a roaring fire. He underestimated how long it would take to boil down the sap and ended up having to sleep overnight in the bush in order to keep an eye on the syrup and the fire. He ended up with several gallons of delicious syrup, but that was the one and only time that he made maple syrup.
Maple syrup is delicious on pancakes, waffles, hot cereal or ice cream. It is used as a sweetener in a wide range of beverages and foods. Try some instead of sugar the next time that you make applesauce...yum!
Buzz Feed has a list of recipe ideas for using maple syrup that they've collected. You can find their list here: "57 Magical Ways to Use Maple Syrup" You can also scroll through the Food Network's maple syrup recipes here: "50 Sweet and Savoury Maple Syrup Recipes"
Here are links to some of my favourite maple flavored recipes:
If you live in an area where maple syrup is made, there are lots of opportunities this time of year to attend a Maple Syrup Festival. It's a great opportunity to see the sugar bush and learn about the process of making maple syrup. You may also get the chance to try some samples! Some festivals also serve up stacks of pancakes. It's a great day trip with friends or family. Check your local media for Maple Syrup Festivals in your area.
The food of gods? You just never know.
🔍To return to the main page, please click on the banner at the top of this page or click on this link: Cupola Corner Blog
