Make Your Own Maple Syrup

Making maple syrup is an easy, fun, and rewarding activity the entire family can enjoy. All that is required are a few maple trees, some very simple equipment, and the will power to put in a little effort making your own maple syrup. Making maple syrup is as easy as acquiring maple sap and boiling it into syrup.

The process of making maple syrup is an age-old tradition of the North American Indians, where it was used both as a food and very often as a medicine. Very little has changed since the American Indian first discovered how to use the sweet sap from a maple tree.

The process of making maple syrup has not changed in all these years. The sap needs to be boiled to remove the water and get maple syrup.

Late winter and early spring is when the maple trees are tapped. After the sap is collected it is boiled to make the maple syrup. Making maple syrup is a slow labor intensive process that requires evaporating about 40 gallons of sap in order to produce 1 gallon of syrup. The secret to making maple syrup is heat, lots and lots of heat.

The groves of maple trees that grow in the Northeastern United States and Canada are referred to as the sugarbush, and the process of making maple syrup is called sugaring. Making maple syrup is one of Agriculture's oldest natural commodities.

The history of Maple Syrup is nearly as old as the land itself. Maple syrup is a true American food, and the art of making maple syrup is generally attributed to Native Americans. The native population of North America was making maple products before Europeans first arrived.

You can make maple syrup with very little equipment, and you may already have many of these items. Most of the equipment can be purchased at your local store, and the items that are unique to making maple syrup such as spiles, (spouts) hydrometers, and finishing filters can be found at maple syrup equipment suppliers, or even online.

The fact is most people are unaware of the many different uses of maple syrup, other than the usual 'pancakes and syrup'. Try pure Maple Syrup on ....grapefruit, granola, winter squash, or sweet potatoes. You can use it as a glaze on meat, or poultry and over ice cream for an outstanding dessert. For a special treat put it in coffee, milk or a milkshake. The many uses for maple syrup are never-ending.

Maple syrup is a crop in which there is no surplus. Maple syrup is only produced in North America, since Europe does not have the proper weather conditions conducive to making meaningful amounts of sap. All maple syrup is not created equal, and making maple syrup is a source of pride for many Northeastern States in the US, and most of Canada.

To produce maple cream, sugar, and candy the syrup is boiled even further, and is a natural sweetener that has many health benefits. Pure maple syrup is truly one of the first signs of spring.

If you would be interested in making maple syrup for yourself, you can find complete instructions, along with a complete list of the necessary equipment at http://www.michiganmaplesyrup.net

Article Source: http://www.rightarticle.com

Ken Asselin is webmaster for the Selections Guide series of information and shopping websites. You can visit his Making Maple Syrup website at: www.michiganmaplesyrup.net

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