Maple Syrup

[billebouy]

You've got to keep history in mind.  In the Colonial days, Maple syrup and Maple sugar were competing with cane sugar from the West Indies, which was a pure, neutral flavored sweetener.  Hence the light, mild, bland flavored syrup was grade A.  Yummy Maple flavor wasn't the goal. 

 

[erain]

Grade A Light Amber: A very light syrup with a mild, delicate maple flavor, this is usually made early in the season when the weather is cold. This is the best grade for making maple candy and maple cream.

Grade A Medium Amber: A darker, mid-season syrup, this is often used as a table syrup. This syrup has a deeper maple flavor.

Grade A Dark Amber: A strong flavored syrup that's made from sap harvested late in the season when there's more sunlight and longer stretches of warm temperatures.

Grade B: Very dark with a forceful maple, caramel-y flavor, this is a common cooking syrup. Die-hards also use it as a pancake syrup.

grade A light, first boil of this past spring


6 other boil downs, thinking upper rt would be clased grade B


a partial picture of the 6.5 gal of finished syrup i got this past spring...


cked the king arthur site, 17.95 for a pint of grade B, 6.5gal/8 pints per gal @ $17.95 pint, $933.40

think i may expand on my sugaring hobby...

 

[vagreys]

I'm able to get Grade B Dark in three grocery store chains, locally - Kroger, Fresh Market, and Whole Paycheck...err...Foods. I picked up a pint for $10.95 on sale two days ago, and used it last night on the salmon. Excellent.

 

[venture]

Thanks vagreys.  We have a Kroger owned store near here.  I think it is called FoodsCo or something like that?  I will look for the Grade B there when I finish off what I have on hand.

Good luck and good smoking.

 

[luv2q]

I purchased an 8.5 ounce glass container of Spring Tree Canadian "Grade B" maple syrup for just over $5.00 at my local Publix Supermarket last week, so I guess I was fortunate. I currently have a slab of pork belly curing in it. We'll see in a few days how good it tastes. 

 

[edmartin]

Venture, I have used either a or b when making pork breakfast sausage. For 15 # ground pork, I mix 2  and 1/4  to  2 and  1/2  cups of cold maple syrup with my insta cure #1 and spices to the pork sausage mix, and after stuffing them in casings and hang to dry in refrigerator, then lightly smoke them using applewood. I then vacum pack approx. 10 to a package and freeze until use. They don't last when the kids see them.