"Maple Syrup - Mother Nature's Gift"

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By Chef Kevin Wagner

It's that wonderful time of the year again. The days are getting a little longer, and the early signs of spring are starting to show. With the cold nights and warmer days, of course, the sap is running in the maple trees. It's maple syrup season once again.

Local "sugar bushes" (the name of a syrup farm) have begun to produce the nectar that we, as Canadians and North Americans, have come to know and adore. There is nothing that can compare to the taste of pure, unadulterated maple syrup.

Making this precious treat is an arduous process, from tapping the trees and collecting the maple sap, through the long boiling time and bottling the product. Although I have made my own in the past, I no longer take the time to produce my own syrup. That doesn't mean I don't still use and enjoy it regularly, though :-)

Maple syrup has been produced by Native Americans since time immemorial. They would cut a gash in the bark with their hatchet, place a large chip in the cut, and let the sap collect in bark bowls at the base of the tree. This would be poured into hollowed out logs, and boiled down by repeatedly throwing in hot rocks from the fire.

An alternate method they used, was to let the sap freeze overnight, and throw away the ice in the morning. After repeating this process a few times, they would have pure syrup, still considered by many to be the highest quality.

When our forefathers came to this land, it was the only sugar they had to use, and thankfully adopted the process. In our cold Northern climate, sugar beets or canes couldn't grow, so it was the only sweetener they had until about 1875.

The collection of sap was, and is, very time-consuming. This task was made easier in the 1940's by running tubing from the trees downhill to the "sugar shack". This paved the way for large scale, commercial production, and continues to this day.

After collection, the sap is boiled in large, flat vats until it reaches the desired consistency. It is then bottled for sale, or boiled further to produce maple sugar, which can be granulated and stored like regular cane sugar. In fact, Native Americans were known to do this as well.

Maple syrup is produced in all North Eastern provinces in Canada, and colder, northern states in the U.S. The major producer by far is Quebec in Canada, who produced 15,600,000 liters in 2001, nearly four times as much as all U.S. states combined. Great syrup is also produced locally, right here in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia.

It may seem very expensive compared to other sweeteners, but considering the labor involved, it's pretty good value. The price per gallon of syrup has always been about the daily wages of a farm worker, and remains in that range to this day. Also, it takes 35-40 liters of sap to make one liter of syrup, another factor in the price.

Maple syrup is graded by legislation in these categories:

Grade AA- Canada #1: Very light; very delicate flavour
Grade A- Canada #1: Light; delicate flavour
Grade B- Canada #1: Medium; distinct flavour
Grade C- Canada #2: Amber; strong flavour
Grade D- Canada #3: Dark; very strong flavour

Although it's traditional, maple syrup is not just for pancakes and French toast. Use it to add new life to:

ham, pork and chicken
glazed carrots, squash, etc.
baked beans
tea, coffee, milkshakes
desserts
salad dressings...

Also, in this age of health-consciousness, remember that maple syrup is all natural. After all, it's the life of the tree. Doesn't it make sense to be good for you, too? It contains potassium, calcium, iron, and other essential minerals and amino acids that are necessary for our good health.

Yum... even more reasons to enjoy it!

So there you go, a little background into my favorite sweetener. Pick yourself up some and experiment with it. A word of caution, however, you'll probably become an addict like me :-)

Yours in Food & Friendship,
Chef Kevin

Kevin Wagner is Chef/Owner of "Cooking Solutions", providing personal culinary assistance and helpful, friendly advice. From catering services to cooking lessons, recipes to cookbooks... visit the web's friendliest food site at: http://www.cooking-solution.com

Email ChefKevin@cooking-solutions.com with questions or response to this article.

*Reprint of this article granted with contact information intact*

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