There is something quintessential about maple syrup. It gives you a warm feeling inside just thinking about it, dripping from pancakes or maple sugar sprinkled in your coffee or hot chocolate to warm you up at night. You probably picture people walking around with pails in the middle of a snowy winter collecting the sap from maple trees to be made into this delectable delight. A smile crests your face, and suddenly you feel as if you were in heaven.
Brookfield Maple Products, a maker of the best certified organic maple products in the industry, hopes you feel that way when you partake of our organic maple syrup, maple syrup candy, and pure maple sugar. Our maple farm began probably like many maple farms of yesteryear — as a way to make maple syrup for our family and friends. However, we soon discovered more people who wanted our homemade maple syrup so our maple farm became a maple farm business overnight. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at the history of maple syrup and discover where those warm feelings come from. In the meantime, keep reading, and then order the best maple syrup today!
HISTORY OF MAPLE SYRUP
Who first thought to eat something from the inside of a tree? And how did someone even discover this yummy goodness? Probably a maple tree was cut down at some point and someone tried the sap or sugar inside, with the rest being history as they say.
People have been harvesting maple syrup for hundreds of years, starting with the Native Americans who have legends about how people would drink maple syrup right out of the trees and as punishment for not working, water was added to the syrup and only available in the spring. Native Americans would cut a V into the bark and place a wedge at the bottom of the V where sap would then flow into baskets placed at the base of the tree. The sap was collected and then boiled slowly until it became syrup. It would cool down and then be stored in baskets for later use.
When Europeans arrived in the New World, they learned the process of collecting sap and turning it into syrup from the Native Americans. However, the early colonists preferred to drill a hole into the tree, insert a wooded spout into the hole, and then hang a bucket to collect the sap into. Draft animals were employed to haul these buckets of sap (before they were hauled by hand) to a central location known as a the sugar shack where it was boiled and made into syrup. Eventually, hollowed out logs replaced sap buckets. Brookfield Maple Products notes that the maple syrup business was booming in the 1700s because importing sugar cane was expensive at the time.
The 1800s saw improvements in the processing of the sap once it arrived at the sugar shacks. Large, flat metal pans were employed as they increased the surface area and thus the amount of sap that could be boiled at a time. A two-pan evaporator (used to heat and concentrate sap) was invented in the late 1800s and flues were added to the bottom of pans to increase surface area even more. More maple syrup was beginning to be produced as cane sugar began to be more available. Tractors replaced animals and more machines were added to the sugar process that allowed more to be produced. Filtration was added as well for a purer maple product.
MODERN PRODUCTION OF MAPLE SYRUP
Technology continued to make its presence known through vacuum pumps that moved sap along in tubes to using reverse osmosis machines to remove water from the sap before boiling. Storage containers became bigger and better heating systems for evaporators were employed. The forest sustains less damage due to the fact that no roads for horses or cars are needed. All of this has lowered the cost for consumers as well, so you can enjoy more maple products for the same price.
All in all, the process of producing maple syrup from trees has not changed since the Native Americans. Brookfield Maple Products notes that sap is collected from maple trees, which is then boiled down to goodness. Maple syrup is yet another goodness that was discovered quite by accident of which now we all can enjoy.
BROOKFIELD MAPLE PRODUCTS
Speaking of enjoying, Brookfield Maple Products makes the best maple syrup, maple caramels, and maple syrup candy. Our Pennsylvania maple syrup is made on our very own maple farm. We produce only certified organic maple products. If you are a business interested in offering any of our maple products, including our homemade maple syrup, contact us today. We offer great wholesale prices to businesses. Whether you are a business looking to carry maple syrup products or just a lover of homemade maple syrup, we’ve got you covered. Visit us online, and order today!