Mmmm.. is for ... Maple Syrup

Maple syrup, oh I love maple syrup.  :)  Don't you... slathered over pancakes, drizzled into scrambled eggs, and baked into muffins.. mmm mmm good.. good good good.  Won't you join Amanda and I in blogging through the alphabet the letter M?

Did you know that Canada produces 71-80% of the world's maple syrup?   Most of that coming from Quebec. Isn't that an wonderful part of Canada?   We export to over 50 countries around the world, with the USA being one of the biggest importers.

My son use to watch Daniel Cook, so seeing this video brought back smiles:

Daniel Cook is actually learning the old way to tap trees (also the method used by home producers).  Commercial producers have moved to the using lines and gravity to move the syrup from the trees to the cookhouse.  

I learned when I went on a maple syrup tour a couple years ago that the lines come with their own problems.  Apparently a large number of wild critters..in particular squirrels.. have learned the lines contain sweet water and therefore will chew on them to lick up the sap as it comes down the line.   So the lines need to be checked regularly to make sure they aren't damaged.

 

So why is maple syrup important?

1. It tastes great.  If you've only had the fake syrup you really don't know what you are missing.

2. You can cook with it.  To substitute maple syrup for granulated sweeteners such as white sugar, use 2/3 cup of maple syrup for every 1 cup of granulated sugar, reduce the quantity of liquid ingredients in the recipe (water, milk, juice) by 1/4 cup and lower the baking temperature by 25° F. Maple syrup also serves as a one-to-one substitution for other liquid sweeteners, such as honey, molasses and corn syrup. (source).  

3. Harvesting the sap (about 7% of the tree produces) doesn't hurt the tree and there are regulations in place to protect the trees.

4. Maple sugar candies...enough said.  :)

5. Maple Syrup is good for you, "A 60 ml portion of maple syrup contains 100 percent of your recommended daily allowance of manganese, as well at 37 percent of riboflavin, 18 percent of zinc, 7 percent of magnesium, and 5 percent of calcium and potassium. Plus, the antioxidant levels are comparable to a banana or a serving of broccoli." (source)

6. Top three world-wide producers are:  (source)

• Province of Quebec, Canada:  7, 989,000 gallons harvested.
• State of Vermont, USA:  890,000 gallons harvested.
• Province of Ontario, Canada:  400,000 gallons harvested.

7. Maple syrup was first discovered by North America's indigenous peoples.  The Ojibwa talked of the "maple moon".   (source)
8. Maple syrup is graded according to colour, flavour and density.
9. "Canada’s maple syrup producing regions are located in the provinces of Quebec (primary producer), Ontario, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. There are more than 8,600 maple syrup businesses in Canada." (source) 
10. Did you know that the Homeschool Review Crew reviewed Tap My Trees?   Tap my Trees is a company that helps you successfully make your own syrup.  

I hope you will come join us:

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