The commercial makers of pure maple syrup have acres and acres of 30 to 40-year-old maple trees, standing ready to give up a little of their life’s blood, the sugary sap found just beneath the bark. They produce millions of gallons of the sweet stuff you drizzle over your pancakes, waffles and french toast.
Between Vermont, New York, Wisconsin, Ohio, New Hampshire, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts, they usually produce nearly three million gallons of liquid every year. The entire country of Canada produces even more than that.
A commercial grower may have a slightly different method for gaining access to this sap, but the small landowner, even with just a large yard and a few big trees, can make enough syrup to keep them happy all winter. With plenty of time and help, enough can be made to last until the next season of gathering, boiling and storing the sweet concoction.
Boiling down five to thirteen gallons of sap will result in slightly less than a quart of delicious, amber colored sorghum. You reduce the amount of water in the sap by evaporation. Home-style producers often use large, square vats in which to do this. The original way of using big round iron kettles over an open fire, has been found to be less efficient than the square containers in the evaporation process.
Researchers of medicinal plants have discovered that this tasty liquid carries in it more than 20 compounds, including anti-oxidants, that can affect a person’s health positively, when consumed. The coveted anti-oxidant compounds have also been said to have anti-bacterial, anti-cancer and anti-diabetic properties.
It’s comforting to know that when you pour this pure maple syrup over your fluffy hotcakes, biscuits or french toast, that you are doing some good for your body as well as your taste buds. It’s a special treat to add your own homemade sweet liquid to the commercial supplies you may already have.