Maple Syrup - WKTV Journal

Courtesy Michigan State University Extension

By Kendra Wills, Michigan State University Extension

Maple syrup is among the first locally harvested food products available in Michigan farmers markets each spring. According to the Michigan Maple Syrup Association (n.d.), Michigan ranks fifth nationally in maple syrup production at about 90,000 gallons annually. It takes approximately 40 gallons of maple sap to make one gallon of maple syrup.

One-hundred-percent pure maple syrup tastes very different from the pancake syrups found in most grocery stores. These pancake syrups consist mostly of corn syrup or cane sugar. They may contain either no pure maple syrup or pure maple syrup in very small amounts. Be sure to read the label of ingredients if you are looking for pure maple syrup.

Nutrition

One tablespoon of maple syrup has about 50 calories. Maple syrup is approximately 67 percent sugar and 33 percent water. The sugar in maple syrup is sucrose (88 to 89 percent) with small amounts of glucose and fructose sugar (11 to 12 percent). White sugar is also sucrose. According to the Ohio State University Extension (2009), there is no direct scientific evidence that maple syrup is healthier than white sugar. Diabetics and others who are limiting their sugar intake need to treat maple syrup as they do other sugar products.

Storage

Store pure maple syrup in the refrigerator — even if the bottle has not been opened. Pure maple syrup in glass or tin containers may be stored in the refrigerator for up to one year. Use syrup stored in plastic containers within three to six months. Plastic breathes causing a change to syrup color and flavor (Ohio State University Extension, 2009).

You may freeze maple syrup. To freeze, pour it into freezable glass jars, making sure to leave a one-inch space at the top. Frozen syrup maintains quality and flavor for an indefinite period.

Selection

The characteristic flavor of maple syrup includes sweetness from the sugars, a slight tartness from the acids, and a range of aromas that includes vanilla, coffee and chocolate. The longer the syrup is boiled, the darker the color (University of Vermont, n.d.).

All states must use the U.S. Department of Agriculture color standards to grade, or classify, maple syrup based on color, flavor and sugar content. However, states may use their own words to describe color. Grade A refers to the lighter, more delicately flavored, sometimes less concentrated syrups, which people pour directly on food. Grade B, more often used for cooking, is stronger in caramel flavor. Maple syrup grading kits are available at specialty stores or through online retailers. Maple producers use them to help classify their syrup for quality control. (University of Vermont, n.d.). 2

Michigan maple syrup has four grades: Grade A Light Amber, Grade A Medium Amber, Grade A Dark Amber, and Grade B. The Michigan Maple Syrup Association (2005) says Grade A Light Amber has a delicate maple taste and extra light amber color; Grade A Medium Amber has a mild maple taste and light amber color; Grade A Dark Amber has a hearty maple taste and a medium amber color; and Grade B, good for cooking, has a robust maple taste and dark amber color.

Production

Maple syrup is typically harvested from sugar maple and black maple trees. Even though other tree varieties can produce sap for syrup production, these two varieties typically provide the sweetest sap. A maple tree needs to be about 40 years old and at least 32 inches in circumference at 4.5 feet off the ground before tapping.

Maple sap is harvested as a slightly sweet, colorless liquid. Sap is boiled so the water in the sap evaporates and the sugars become concentrated. Sap harvesting can start as early as February in southern Michigan and go until April in the north. The Michigan Maple Syrup Association (n.d.) estimates that only about 1 percent of Michigan’s maple forest resources are utilized for syrup production.

To learn how to tap maple trees and produce your own syrup, read the Michigan State University (MSU) Extension Bulletin Homemade Maple Syrup. Obtain it from http://shop.msu.edu/ Search the MSU Extension Bookstore section for “E2617.”

Recipes

Spring Greens with Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette

Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette

– 1 cup Grade A pure maple syrup (light, medium or dark — your preference)
– 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
– 3/4 cup canola oil

Whisk or use immersion blender until blended and stable.

Salad

– 1 large bunch of mixed greens and/or arugula (or enough for the number of servings you require)
– 1/2 cup gorgonzola cheese
– 1/2 cup pecans
– 1/2 cup craisins

Toss 1/2 cup vinaigrette with greens, top with cheese, nuts, fruit and serve. Produces 6-8 servings depending on serving size.

Adapted with permission from UVM Libraries Maple Research Website: http://library.uvm.edu/maple/recipes/?cat=17

(University of Vermont. (2010). Spring greens with maple balsamic vinaigrette.)

Maple Baked Beans

4-6 servings

Ingredients:

– 2 cups dried navy beans (you may want to look for Michigan navy beans)
– 6 strips bacon
– 1 onion, chopped
– 1 teaspoon dried mustard
– 1 teaspoon salt
– 1/2 cup pure maple syrup (Grade A or Grade B — your choice)
– 1 pork hock, fresh or smoked
– 2 tablespoons butter
– 2 tablespoons brown sugar

Preheat over to 325 °F. Simmer navy beans in water until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain beans and reserve liquid for cooking. Line bean pot with strips of bacon. In a large bowl, toss together onion and beans. In another bowl, combine 2 cups bean cooking liquid, mustard, salt and maple syrup. Place half the bean mixture on bacon strips in pot. Place pork hock on beans, top with rest of bean onion mixture, then pour over reserved cooking liquid/ syrup mixture. Cover with lid and place in oven for 3 hours, or until pork hock is fully cooked and pulling away from the bone. If beans begin to look dry, add more cooking liquid.

Once pork hock is cooked, remove beans from oven and remove lid. Mash together butter and brown sugar into a paste, scatter sugar paste over beans and place back in the oven, uncovered, for an additional 30 minutes. Remove from oven and serve.

Adapted with permission from a recipe from Sydney Oland, food writer, posted on seriouseats.com. Retrieved from http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/12/maple-baked-bean-stew-pork-recipe.html.

References

Michigan Maple Syrup Association. (n.d.). Maple facts. Retrieved from http://www.mi-maplesyrup.com/ education/maple-facts/.

Michigan Maple Syrup Association. (2005, Spring). Grading!!! Should our current system be changed? Michigan Maple Syrup Association Members Newsletter.

Ohio State University Extension. (2009). Selecting, storing, and serving Ohio maple syrup. (HYG-5522-09). Retrieved from http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/pdf/5522.pdf.

Oland, S. (2011, Dec. 17). Maple baked beans. Retrieved from http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/12/ maple-baked-bean-stew-pork-recipe.html.

University of Vermont. (n.d.). Maple syrup. Retrieved from http://library.uvm.edu/maple/nutrition/index.php.

University of Vermont. (2010). Spring greens with maple balsamic vinaigrette. Retrieved from http://library.uvm. edu/maple/recipes/?cat=17.

Resources

Michigan Maple Syrup Association

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By: Dianna Higgs-Stampfler

The Michigan Maple Syrup Association is once again planning three weekends of celebrations focused on the state’s oldest agricultural activity during the 4th Annual Michigan Maple Weekend. Overall, more than 25 sugar makers are participating in the festivities.

Due to the state’s diverse weather and geographical elements, events are first held in the southern half of the Lower Peninsula (south of US10), March 19-20, followed by events in the upper half of the Lower Peninsula (north of US10), March 26-27 and throughout the Upper Peninsula, April 2-3.

“The weekend provides the people of Michigan and surrounding states a chance to see how our oldest crop is produced,” says Joe Woods, event coordinator. “For many people it is a chance for them to experience firsthand where their food comes from and the work and expense that goes into bringing a crop to market. For the producer it is a chance to meet new customers, educate consumers and display the workings of a sugar bush. Together this brings awareness of the maple syrup industry to the public.”

The family-friendly events held around the state are a great time for people to get out and get a firsthand look at how maple sap is collected, boiled down and turned into sweet maple syrup and other maple treats. Many of the farms will offer tours of their operation including tree tapping demonstrations, samples of their products, recipes for the use of maple syrup and local maple syrup products available to purchase.

Visitors to local farms can meet the farmers and their families that produce maple syrup and to get outside and enjoy Michigan’s early spring weather. Attendees are reminded to wear boots as mud and snow may still be abundant at this time of the year.

Michigan Maple Syrup Facts:

▪   Michigan ranks 5th in maple syrup production in the United States.
▪   Average maple syrup production in Michigan is about 90,000 gallons per year.
▪   Economic contributions of the pure maple syrup industry to Michigan are nearly $2.5 million annually.
▪   Maple syrup is a Michigan tourist benefit. It is a “thing” to buy.
▪   Maple syrup, as an agricultural commodity, benefits Michigan farm markets.
▪   There are an estimated 500 commercial maple syrup producers in Michigan with some 2,000 additional hobby or home use producers.
▪   Michigan law requires that processor of maple syrup must be licensed.
▪   The production of pure maple syrup is the oldest agricultural enterprise in the United States.
▪   Maple syrup is one of the few agricultural crops in which demand exceeds supply.
▪   Only about 1 percent of Michigan’s maple forest resource is used in maple syrup production.
▪   In an average year, each tap-hole will produce about 10 gallons of maple sap, enough for about a quart of pure Michigan maple syrup.
▪   Maple sap is a slightly sweet, colorless liquid.
▪   It takes approximately 40 gallons of maple sap to make 1 gallon of maple syrup.
▪   A gallon of standard maple syrup weighs 11 pounds and has a sugar content of 66 percent.
▪   Maple syrup is the first farm crop to be harvested in Michigan each year.
▪   Maple syrup is not the recipient of any crop support or subsidy programs.
▪   A maple tree needs to be about 40 years old and have a diameter of 10 inches before tapping is recommended.
▪   Warm sunny days and freezing nights determine the length of the maple season.
▪   The budding of maple trees makes the maple syrup taste bitter. Thus, production ceases.
▪   Freezing and thawing temperatures create pressure and force the sap out of the tree.
▪   A very rapid rise in temperature (25 to 45 degrees) will enhance the sap flow.
▪   While the sugaring season may last 6-10 weeks, during this period, the heavy sap may run only 10-20 days.
▪   Average sugar concentration of maple sap is about 2.5 percent.
▪   Maple sap is boiled to remove the water and concentrate the sugars in a process called evaporation.
▪   In a conventional evaporator one cord of hard wood is required for every 25 gallons of syrup produced.
▪   Tubing collection systems with vacuum can increase average sap yields approximately 50 percent.
▪   Maple sap becomes maple syrup when boiled to 219 degrees Fahrenheit, or 7 degrees above the boiling point of water.
▪   Pure Michigan maple syrup has 50 calories per tablespoon and is fat-free. It has no additives, no added coloring and no preservatives.
▪   Maple syrup has many minerals per tablespoon: 20 milligrams of calcium, 2 milligrams of phosphorus, 0.2 milligrams of iron, 2 milligrams of sodium, 35 milligrams of potassium.
▪   Maple syrup is classified as one of nature’s most healthful foods.

Other maple syrup events in Michigan this spring include:
▪   March 5-27 — Afternoons at the Sugarhouse – Chippewa Nature Center, Midland
▪   March 12-13 — Maple Sugar Festival – Kalamazoo Nature Center, Kalamazoo
▪   March 13 — Maple Sugaring – Hillside Homestead, Suttons Bay
▪   March 19 — Maple Syrup Day – Chippewa Nature Center, Midland
▪   March 19 — Maple Syrup Festival – Fenner Nature Center, Lansing
▪   March 28 — Maple Sugaring Days – Tahquamenon Falls State Park, Newberry
▪   April 22-24 — Vermontville Maple Syrup Festival
▪   April 22-24 — Shepherd Maple Syrup Festival

This article was republished with permission from Dianna at Promote Michigan. We do our best to help with the promotion of the great State of Michigan!