MAPLE SYRUP
When I think about maple syrup one of the first thoughts that comes to mind is a huge maple tree trunk with a metal buckets hanging on it. The age old tradition of “sugar bushing” (maple trees used to be referred to as sugar bushes) is a little foggy. It has been said that early settlers in the United States learned about sugar maples from Native Americans Indians. No one is exactly sure how it all began but it is rumored that an Indian Chief of a tribe threw a tomahawk at a tree and when sap ran out of the tree his wife used the liquid to boil venison. Another story holds that American Indians stumbled on sap running from a broken maple branch.
Maple Sap typically runs out of maple trees on days when the temperature is around 40 degrees following a night when the temperature dropped below freezing. Farmers would drill holes into the trees to allow the sap to drain. Every day or two the farmers would empty the buckets into larger containers and haul the watery substance to a "sugar house". The sap is about 98% water and it takes about 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of maple syrup. The sugar makers would boil off most of the water over a wood fire and what remained was sweet brown syrup. Other sugar makers would heat the sap down even more turning it into crystallized sugar.
In the modern era the process has developed to the point that the sugar industry produced evaporators that were in essence giant frying pans with fire boxes built underneath. Most serious sugar makers have even foregone the labor demanding buckets in favor of a tubing system. The holes drilled into sugar maples in early spring are made with a cordless drill. Sugar manufactures insert small plastic jets into the holes and connect the jets to large webs of plastic tubing that direct the sap into large tanks. A large number of these sugar bushes have a vacuum system that draws the sap out of the trees to increase yield. This system works along with oil fueled furnaces and reverse osmosis to remove some of the water prior to boiling. The technology has changed a lot but the process is virtually the same. We basically still collect the sap and reduce it over heat. One of the concerns and a major goal is to minimize microbial growth. Typically sap should spend no more than a few hours in the collecting vessel. Buckets are the most common collecting vessel and 16 quart galvanized buckets are the most commonly used. As a rule only buckets specifically manufactured for maple collection should be used.
The state of the art maple sap collection system is a plastic tubing system. The plastic tubing allows sap to flow from each tree to a principal collection point. To maintain a clean collection system it is necessary to wash the tubing system as soon as possible at the end of each season. Washing removes all of the uncollected sap from the lines and reduces the chances of fungal growth taking place.
Once maple sap has been processed into maple syrup and the correct density is reached, the syrup is ready for filtering and packing. Maple syrup is best filtered while it is still hot; this is usually between 185° & 190° F. To prevent contamination of finished syrup by yeast or mold growth, finished syrup should be hot packed. Filling into any kind of container, sterilized or not, may cause contamination, containers hot filled with syrup should be inverted directly after being hot-filled and sealed. Food grade plastic containers should be used. These containers are available in a wide variety of sizes and have the advantage of being rust proof and resistant to breakage. Containers that are filled with syrup should be allowed to cool before they are boxed. We can better maintain the quality of the maple syrup if air can flow around the containers as they are cooling. Pure maple syrup should be kept in a cool dark place for up to two years before selling. Once the syrup is opened we should use it then close the lid securely and refrigerate between uses. Pure maple syrup will not freeze if it is made correctly so the freezer is a ideal place to store it almost indefinitely. When opening a container of maple syrup, there may be the presence of water or growth of bacteria, yeast or mold having occurred during storage, if this happens it should be disposed of immediately because some microorganisms produce toxins as they grow it is not recommended that mold simply be removed and the product heated.
Maple Syrup is a pure, nutritious and delicious product. The nutritional potential of maple syrup is one of our natural sources for sweeteners. Some of the benefits of maple syrup are that it is 100% natural, it provides essential vitamins and minerals, it is low on the Glycemic Index and it serves as a unique taste enhancer. A 60 ml serving of maple syrup supplies more than 100% of our daily intake of manganese, 37% of riboflavin, 18% of zinc, 7% of magnesium and 5% of calcium and potassium. The Glycemic Index (GI) is a scale that ranks foods on how they affect blood glucose levels. By consuming foods with a low GI rating - 55 or lower we can avert or regulate heart disease, diabetes and obesity. Maple syrup has a GI of 54 which compares well with other sweetening products such as sugar that has a GI of 58 and honey that has a GI of 87. Thanks to the flavor and aroma of maple syrup it helps improve the taste of any food that it is added too. The use of maples syrup is a fantastic way to help children appreciate nutritious value of vegetables such as peas, spinach, and broccoli.
In its latest report on dietary reference intakes, Health Canada concluded that current scientific data on the relationship between sugar consumption and the threat of diseases like obesity, cancer, hyperlipidemia and others did not warrant a reduction of sugar consumption. There is a major difference between foods with sugar added that are eaten to supply nutrients and those eaten that do not supply anything other than calories. The use of a sweetener in our healthy food preparation contributes to the pleasure of eating. In conclusion maple syrup is completely compatible with a healthy diet.
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