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| Michigan’s Maple Syrup |
Michigan’s history of maple syrup is a time honored tradition. Real maple syrup
is a pure, natural product, with a unique flavor. It is simply the concentrated sap of
the maple tree. It is also only produced in North America. Native Americans are
credited as the first to discover the sweet sap from a maple tree could be
processed into maple syrup.
One of the most popular legends about the history of maple syrup is about a
Native American chief who discovered the clear liquid sap seeping from a tree he
had stuck his tomahawk in. As the day got warmer, the sap seeped into a
cooking pot on the ground. The chief’s wife, after tasting it, discovered that it
tasted quite good and cooked his meat in it. The chief was so impressed with the
sweet taste of the maple meat, he named it Sinzibudkwud which means “drawn
from trees.”
It was soon discovered that cutting a maple tree in early spring caused it to ooze
a sweet clear liquid that could be processed into a sweet product. Over the
years, it was learned that the sap could be gradually reduced to syrup by
repeatedly freezing it, discarding the ice and starting over again.
Eventually some of the Native American tribes began to process the maple sap
over fire. The women of the tribe would go to the “sugar bushes” during early
spring to process the maple syrup. Troughs were made to collect the sap and
bring it to the fire. The sap was heated by adding heated stones.
Early settlers imitated the Native American methods in making their maple
syrup. They would boil the sap over an open fire until it reduced down to syrup. It
takes about 40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup.
Maple production can be classified as one of nature’s wonders. Maple sap
cannot be collected just any time of the year. Alternating episodes of freezing and
thawing cause the sap to flow within the sugar maple tree, and this only happens
for a few weeks in the spring and fall. Spring is when most of the maple syrup is
produced, because weather conditions are generally more favorable for sap flow.
When the weather warms up to above freezing, maple sap will begin to flow. It
will continue to flow at a steadily declining rate for approximately 8 to 15 hours,
provided the temperature remains above freezing.
Most of the original syrup makers were dairy farmers who made maple syrup
and sugar for their own use or to make a little extra income. In the 1960’s it was
so labor intensive and time consuming that small farmers had a hard time
sustaining themselves. A surge of technological breakthroughs occurred. Tubing
systems were developed and vacuum pumps added to draw the sap directly from
the trees to the evaporator house. Pre-heaters that “recycle” heat which
previously was lost were developed, and reverse-osmosis filters that remove a
portion of the water out of the sap before it is boiled were introduced into the
process.
Technological developments continue today with new filtering techniques, better
tubing, “supercharged” pre-heaters, and improved storage containers.
is a pure, natural product, with a unique flavor. It is simply the concentrated sap of
the maple tree. It is also only produced in North America. Native Americans are
credited as the first to discover the sweet sap from a maple tree could be
processed into maple syrup.
One of the most popular legends about the history of maple syrup is about a
Native American chief who discovered the clear liquid sap seeping from a tree he
had stuck his tomahawk in. As the day got warmer, the sap seeped into a
cooking pot on the ground. The chief’s wife, after tasting it, discovered that it
tasted quite good and cooked his meat in it. The chief was so impressed with the
sweet taste of the maple meat, he named it Sinzibudkwud which means “drawn
from trees.”
It was soon discovered that cutting a maple tree in early spring caused it to ooze
a sweet clear liquid that could be processed into a sweet product. Over the
years, it was learned that the sap could be gradually reduced to syrup by
repeatedly freezing it, discarding the ice and starting over again.
Eventually some of the Native American tribes began to process the maple sap
over fire. The women of the tribe would go to the “sugar bushes” during early
spring to process the maple syrup. Troughs were made to collect the sap and
bring it to the fire. The sap was heated by adding heated stones.
Early settlers imitated the Native American methods in making their maple
syrup. They would boil the sap over an open fire until it reduced down to syrup. It
takes about 40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup.
Maple production can be classified as one of nature’s wonders. Maple sap
cannot be collected just any time of the year. Alternating episodes of freezing and
thawing cause the sap to flow within the sugar maple tree, and this only happens
for a few weeks in the spring and fall. Spring is when most of the maple syrup is
produced, because weather conditions are generally more favorable for sap flow.
When the weather warms up to above freezing, maple sap will begin to flow. It
will continue to flow at a steadily declining rate for approximately 8 to 15 hours,
provided the temperature remains above freezing.
Most of the original syrup makers were dairy farmers who made maple syrup
and sugar for their own use or to make a little extra income. In the 1960’s it was
so labor intensive and time consuming that small farmers had a hard time
sustaining themselves. A surge of technological breakthroughs occurred. Tubing
systems were developed and vacuum pumps added to draw the sap directly from
the trees to the evaporator house. Pre-heaters that “recycle” heat which
previously was lost were developed, and reverse-osmosis filters that remove a
portion of the water out of the sap before it is boiled were introduced into the
process.
Technological developments continue today with new filtering techniques, better
tubing, “supercharged” pre-heaters, and improved storage containers.
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Did You Know?
• Michigan ranks 5th in maple syrup production in the United
States.
• Average maple syrup production in Michigan is about 90,000
gallons per year.
• There are an estimated 500 commercial maple syrup
producers in Michigan with about 2,000 additional hobby or
home use producers.
• Maple syrup is one agricultural crop in which there is no surplus.
• The production of pure maple syrup is the oldest agricultural
enterprise in the United States.
• The maple season in Michigan starts in February in the
southern counties and runs well into April in the Upper Peninsula.
• Maple syrup tastes great on waffles, pancakes and french
toast! It also can be made into cream, sugar, candy and many
other uses!
• Michigan ranks 5th in maple syrup production in the United
States.
• Average maple syrup production in Michigan is about 90,000
gallons per year.
• There are an estimated 500 commercial maple syrup
producers in Michigan with about 2,000 additional hobby or
home use producers.
• Maple syrup is one agricultural crop in which there is no surplus.
• The production of pure maple syrup is the oldest agricultural
enterprise in the United States.
• The maple season in Michigan starts in February in the
southern counties and runs well into April in the Upper Peninsula.
• Maple syrup tastes great on waffles, pancakes and french
toast! It also can be made into cream, sugar, candy and many
other uses!
| Yummy! French Toast with Maple Syrup! |