The Facts You Can Know about Syrup from Maples

Simply put, maple syrup is a natural sweetener that is produced from the sap of the maple tree. People often eat it with pancakes, waffles and even French toast. It can also be used to make candy and other desserts, as well as flavouring in beer-making. I enjoy many maple treats including maple cookie recipe. It is believed that the Native Americans were the first to ever collect and use maple syrup. Its use was later adopted by the European settlers.

Today, a large part of maple syrup production is done in North America and the product itself is most commonly associated with Canada. In fact, about 80% of the world’s maple syrup supply comes from Canada, with the majority of production coming particularly from Quebec. However, maple syrup can still be made anywhere that maple trees grow as long as the right weather conditions are present. Some companies even make maple syrup in Vermont, which is the largest maple syrup producer in the United States. Many kitchen cupboards are graced with Canadian maple syrup.

The two maple species where the syrup is usually made from is the sugar maple and the black maple, chosen for the high sugar content in the sap. The type of syrup or grade depends on what type of tree and there are many types like maple syrup grades. Harvesting sap in the traditional manner means one has to tap a maple tree and then gather up the sap in a bucket. This was, however, a very labor-intensive method and required daily collection of the sap so producers found easier harvesting techniques such as the installation of plastic pipelines. These pipelines allow the sap to flow directly into the sugar house, where it is boiled to form maple syrup.

Production is often done between February and April because the warm days and freezing nights of this period effectively induces the flow of sap. An estimated 40 litres of sap is needed to produce one litre of syrup. As the sap is cooked, its density is measured with a hydrometer. It is important that the proper density of about 66% sugar be reached because if the density is too low then the syrup might spoil and if it is too high then the syrup might crystallize in the bottle. Variations in the boiling process are also done to produce maple taffy, maple cream and maple butter.

The good news for consumers is that maple syrup is not only sweet to the taste, but it is also sweet for the health. The reason is that it is very rich in the minerals zinc and manganese. Manganese has strong antioxidant properties and is also a natural energy booster. Zinc is also a potent antioxidant and even helps protect our hearts from damage normally caused by LDL cholesterol and oxidized fats. Furthermore, manganese and zinc help strengthen the body’s immune system and a deficiency of these minerals has been known to compromise the body’s ability to fight off ailments and diseases.

Men may even enjoy a couple of health bonuses from maple syrup. Zinc is most concentrated in the prostate and helps lower the risk for prostate cancer. Zinc is even known to reduce the size of the prostate. For its part, manganese benefits a person’s reproductive health because it has been proven to play an active role in producing sex hormones.