Maple syrup is one of the world’s oldest agricultural crops and is one of few crops which can be called entirely North American.  Pure maple syrup is a non-cultivated, non-fertilized crop which is virtually untouched by human hands.  Deriving from trees, maple syrup is a woodland crop produced in the forested regions of Eastern North America.  Maple trees grow best at altitudes 600 feet above sea level, making the hilly regions of this area the most lucrative maple producing areas.

 Like any other agricultural commodity, the value of maple syrup is subject to fluctuations caused by environmental and economic conditions.  Once a staple sugar in many households, as the cost of cane sugar was often prohibitive, maple syrup and sugar mainly became a supplemental sugar in most houses.  Major world events have favorably influenced the annual maple production and altered this trend.  Such events include the two world wars of the 20^th Century which demanded a severe rationing of cane sugar in North America.  As a result, maple syrup was widely used to augment the scarce cane sugar supply. This led to a resurgence of the maple industry in the 1950’s, and therefore the art of making maple syrup was not lost. 

As the 1990’s rolled around a more concerned population began making healthier choices, they began to choose maple syrup as their sweetener.  As a specialty food item, maple syrup is pure, organic and healthy both for the body and the spirit.  It is an extremely versatile food item that can be used in virtually any food preparation venue and lends itself beautifully to a magnitude of dishes and food items.  Many people have now replaced the use of cane sugar for the healthier maple alternative.

The Maple Tree

     Although maple trees can be found the world over, North America is the only place maple syrup is made.  The worlds supply of maple syrup comes from the North Eastern region of North America.  This region of forest is commonly referred to as the "maple belt".  This area is the only region in the world that receives the right climatic conditions for the commercial production of maple syrup.  A swing in temperature is needed in order for the maple tree to start revealing it's sweet secrets.  Cold nights (below freezing) followed by warm days (above freezing) are required for the sap to run.

     There are several varieties of maple trees found throughout the maple producing regions, but the two most prevalent are the red maple and the sugar, or rock maple.  The sugar maple, which has a higher sugar concentration in its sap grows predominately at higher altitudes, which is why most commercial maple operations are found in the highlands or hilly areas of the maple producing regions. 

     A mature maple tree sends upwards of 1/2 an acre of foliage into the sky each summer.  Through the process of photosynthesis these leaves produce all the sustenance the tree needs to stay alive, especially through the harsh North Eastern winters.  Among the many things the sugar maple produces is sugar. This same sugar is the product that the sugar maker is looking for in the spring of the year when maple syrup is produced.  During the winter months the sap which the tree has produced all summer is drained out of the trunk and stored in the root system.  This ensures that the trunk will not crack as the temperatures dip below freezing.  This is also the reason why the leaves turn colour and fall off the tree. 

     Maple sap as it comes out of the tree contains water, sugar, mineral salts, and a natural maple flavour.  The quality and intensity of this maple flavour varies with soil composition, tree variety and geographic region.  Because of this, many parallels can be drawn between the maple industry and the wine industry.

     Thawing brooks, the warming sun and melting snow all signal the coming of spring across the maple belt.   With warm days and cold nights the sugar maker knows it's time to start harvesting the very first agricultural crop of the year.  The most important aspect of making maple syrup is the weather.  Cold nights (below freezing) and warm days (above freezing) are required for the maple tree to share its sweet treats.  It is this swing in temperature that makes the North Eastern part of North America perfect for the production of maple syrup.

Extracting the Sap

     As the weather warms, natural evaporation from the top of the trees due to the suns rays cause  the sweet sap which has been stored in the roots of the tree to rise up the trunk.  This is the time when the sap can be extracted from the tree, and maple syrup made.   As the sap rises up the trunk of the tree it does so near the outside of the trunk.  So a hole through the outer layers of wood and bark allow the sap to drip out of the wood and be collected.  Although the expression used in the industry to describe this is "the sap is running" it is far from running.  On a good day the sap will drip steadily but slowly out of the tree. 

     During the winter months, sugar makers spend their time in their sugar woods tapping trees and ensuring that there is no leaks in their system. A small hole is drilled into the tree and a spiel is inserted in the hole.  With a little tap of the hammer the spiel is seated into place for the season.  Traditionally these spiels were metal and a bucket was hung off of them to catch the sap as it dripped out of the tree.  But today most operation use plastic spiels that are connected together by plastic tubing which empty into central collection tanks. Using this method, literally hundreds of thousands of trees can be linked together to form one tubing system. 

     A tree produces much more sap than it requires and using this tapping method, (the only method known today) a sugar maker extracts no more than 10% of the sap from the tree if they are lucky.  So the trees are in no way harmed or endangered.  In fact, the maple industry is a completely sustainable industry that helps ensure beautiful old stands of sugar woods do not succumb to the chainsaw for hardwood flooring.  At the end of each season the spiels are pulled from the tree and the tubing system cleaned.  A tree is never tapped in the same place twice. 

Processing the Sap

     Once extracted from the tree, natural bacteria and enzymes in the sap immediately react with the oxygen in the air and began to break the chemical composition of the sap down.  Because of this, sugar makers race to process the sap as quickly as possible before it deteriorates too far.  As the sap comes from the tree it is essential 98% water and 2% sugar, these proportions vary between sugar woods, and even during the season, but generally speaking it is roughly these values.  The only way to make maple syrup is to remove the water from the sap which concentrates the sugar.  And there is essential only one way to do this; boiling the sap.  This is where maple syrup is special, like wine or beer, maple syrup has been made through the same process using basically the same equipment and operations for hundreds of years.  Some things have changed such as the materials used to make the equipment but essential it is the same process. 

     One modern touch that many commercial maple operations use is called a reverse osmosis or RO. A Ro is basically a very small filter.  The sap is pushed under pressure through VERY fine membranes which only allow the sugar and part of the water through.  This process pre-concentrates the sap another few percent which can save a huge amount of time and fuel.  The sap is then feed into what is known as an evaporator.  Evaporators come in every imaginable shape and size, but they all work under the same principal.  A heat source, usually produced with oil or wood, is placed under large corrugated pan which allows the sap a large boiling surface.  The sap boils very rapidly in these pans and begins to concentrate, turing the golden brown colour we all know as maple syrup.  As the sap concentrates and thickens natural process pull the sap thought he pans to the front.  The sap is now almost pure maple syrup.  Often at this stage, the sap is placed in a separate front or "finishing" pan where the sap is finished off to syrup. 

     In Canada by law once maple sap reaches 66% sugar it is legally pure maple syrup.  Several instruments and techniques are used to gauge this.  Traditionally a sugar maker could tell when the syrup was ready by watching it drip off of a paddle that had been dipped into the boiling evaporator.  The rule of thumb is that once the sap reaches 7 degrees above the boiling point of water on the Fahrenheit scale it is pure maple syrup.  Today, most producers use a hydrometer and  thermometer to check the specific gravity to determine the sugar content.  More recently, digital and hand held refractometers have been employed to determine the sugar content.  By passing a beam of light through a sample of syrup and measuring the amount that the light bends, the sugar content of the syrup can be evaluated.  Many commercial operations use an automatic draw off on their evaporators which uses a computer to determine the sugar content and automatically draw the syrup off when it is ready.

Pure Maple Syrup

     After the maple syrup is produced it is usually filtered with a filter press or through means of gravity filters to remove naturally occurring sediments and minerals from the syrup.  Once the maple syrup is free from these solids it is pumped into 32 gallon barrels at a temperature of 180 degrees Fahrenheit and sealed for storage.

     But it doesn't stop there.  Throughout the year these barrels are opened, blended with other syrup and packaged into retail sized containers for stores or larger sized containers for foodservice applications.  The syrup can also be used for making a whole slew of maple by-products such as sugar, cream, butter, candy and many other items.  Maple syrup naturally comes in different grades, depending on the season, to learn more about grades, flavours and colours please click here.

Acadian Maple Products has been carrying on the time honoured tradition of pure maple syrup and has also expand and develop upon timely favorites to create and source out a wide array of products.  Going beyond the maple grove we have also encompassed other Maritime favorites including blueberries, cranberries and honey, all grown and produced right here in Atlantic Canada. 

     At Acadian Maple Products we work very hard all year long to ensure a constant supply of the highest quality pure maple syrup.  Our expanding product line has something for every possible application from food service to giftware.

      We hope you enjoy the bounty of Atlantic Canada’s forests, and continue to enjoy one of Canada’s most cherished and celebrated agricultural resources.