Maple Syrup - A Canadian Tradition
There are few products produced that are a versatile and just plain yummy as maple syrup. And Canada is the Maple Syrup capital of the world! It's an amazing food, capable of transforming a regular meal into an explosion of flavour. And it's soooo versatile!
Drizzle it on pancakes or waffles, coat your bacon, add to stirfry, pour it on your ice cream - there are hundreds of different uses for this amazing syrup!
And Ontario Maple Syrup is some of the best! According to OMPSA...
PURE ONTARIO MAPLE SYRUP
Often referred to as the first agricultural crop of the year, maple syrup is made from the sap of primarily sugar, red and black maple trees in late winter and early spring. The basic process of tapping maple trees to collect the sap and then boiling it down to make maple syrup and sugar has endured for centuries. There have been technological advancements in the production process over the years but the unique wholesome flavour of pure maple syrup has not changed.
In Ontario, maple syrup is produced commercially wherever maples are found: from the southern tip of the province to Thunder Bay in the northwest. With a production level of close to a million litres per year, Ontario is the second largest producer of maple syrup in the country next to Quebec.
It takes approximately 40 litres of maple sap to make 1 litre of maple syrup. The maple sap is collected in either buckets or by way of a pipeline that brings sap from the tree to the processing area. The sap, which comes out of the tree with a sugar content of approximately 2%, is boiled until it reaches between 66% and 67.5% sugar content. So you can see that a lot of hard work and dedication goes into each litre of maple syrup produced!
Maple syrup is a completely natural product with no additives. It is chock full of minerals and plant proteins. Research is currently underway to determine how this natural sweetener and flavour enhancing product can benefit human health.
So next time you are looking for a great way to enhance a meal, or wow your guests with a dessert treat - consider Maple Syrup - it's versatile, it's yummy and it's soooooo Canadian!