Mmm... maple syrup, who doesn't like the sweet delicious taste of maple syrup? I'm talking about 100% pure maple syrup, not the 2% "pancake syrup" you usually see dominating the grocer's shelves. Not only does maple syrup taste good, it's actually fairly good for you. It's cholesterol free, and contains calcium, potassium, iron and phosphorus.
Since New York's official state tree is the Sugar Maple, it's not surprising that the state is second only to Vermont in producing maple syrup, which is a uniquely American food.
Maple sugaring history
According to the New York State Maple Producers Association, maple sugaring is a "centuries old North woods tradition." Native Americans were the first to tap maple trees and collect the sap to make maple sugar to use for cooking. The early settlers, who learned the maple sugaring process from the Native Americans, used maple sugar as their sole source of sweetening since it was too costly to import sugar.
How syrup is collected and processed
Making maple syrup is a very weather dependent activity. The warm days and cool nights of Spring cause the sap to run. There are only a few short weeks in the "sugaring off" season when conditions are right for collecting the sap.
Years ago trees were tapped using wooden or metal spiles and buckets. Today approximately 75% of New York State maple producers connect their trees with plastic tubing and the sap flows directly into collecting vats; which are then taken to the "sugaring house" to be transformed into syrup.
At the sugaring house the watery sap is boiled until the water evaporates and the result is pure maple syrup. It takes approximately 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup!
Learn about how syrup is made at Maple Weekend
The annual Maple Weekend is going to be taking place this weekend, March 19-20 and next weekend, March 26-27 at over 100 maple producers throughout New York State. sample syrup, visit the sugarbush and see how syrup is made, enjoy pancake breakfasts, purchase maple products, and take part in other fun activities. For more info visit www.mapleweekend.com
Check out this blog post about Maple Weekend by fellow local travel blogger Carol White Llewellyn, a.k.a. The Travel Maven http://travelmaven.wordpress.com/2011/03/14/5326
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment