Yeah, I know. It’s not spring yet. But, like I mentioned yesterday, my thoughts have been turning to tulips.
One of the wonders of spring in my part of the world is maple syrup. Each autumn, maple trees produce a supply of starch to sustain their roots over the winter. As the weather warms and spring causes the snow to melt, water enters the tree’s roots and enzymes change this starch into ’sugar water’ that circulates through the tree preparing it for the new growing season.
Unlike honey, which is the excretion of an insect, people must produce maple syrup. How anyone figured out how to make maple syrup is a bit of a mystery. The various parts of a maple tree (twigs, leaves, bark) don’t taste sweet if you sample them so that wasn’t likely the inspiration. Even the sap itself is thin, colourless and not terribly sweet. In fact, the distinctive ‘maple’ taste develops only after the sap is reduced greatly in volume.
People often wonder why real maple syrup is so expensive; I think this roster of facts makes it clear that the real question should be: why is maple syrup so affordable?
• Ontario has only 400 maple syrup harvesters
• Ontario is the fourth largest maple syrup producer in North America
• It takes 30 to 40 years to grow a maple tree that is large enough to tap (minimum 12-inches/30 cm in diameter)
• Each tap yields an average of 10 gallons of sap per season, yielding only about one quart of syrup
What’s your favourite use for maple syrup? I love it as an ingredient. In fact, I hardly ever use it on pancakes or waffles (I’m a Lyle’s Golden Syrup fan then).
