If you grew up in Canada or the U.S., just the smell of warm maple syrup can take you back to your childhood.
That comforting sweet aroma can conjure up memories of big holiday breakfasts, baking sessions with grandma in the fall, and warm oatmeal in the morning.
Discovered by the native people of North America, maple syrup has a long history, and legends abound about how it came to be…
Some accounts involve the legendary Prince Glooskap, while others say a woman accidentally discovered it when she added it to a cooking pot.
Even though maples grow across Europe (as well as in Asia and North Africa), maple syrup is a purely American innovation. So as European settlers came to North America, they learned how to make it from the Native Americans.
Benjamin Franklin was a big fan of maple sugar, promoting its production to cut dependence on foreign cane sugar. And Thomas Jefferson enjoyed maple syrup so much he brought maples to his Virginia plantation.
In the 1800’s, homesteaders in the northeast and Great Lakes regions started the tradition of holding “sugaring-off parties” in early spring.
After the long winter, the whole community would gather to harvest sap, boil it down to make sugar and syrup, and enjoy potluck goodies with all the neighbors. A favorite treat was maple taffy, made by pouring warm syrup over snow.
Today, Canada produces about 71% of the world’s maple syrup. But the United States is the second largest producer and boasts a thriving community of small-scale organic producers.
Here’s what those farmers do to bring you the delights of this quintessential North American sweet treat.
From Tree to Table – The Art and Science of Making Maple Syrup
In the middle of winter, when most people retreat indoors to enjoy a cup of cocoa, maple farmers are knee-deep in snow, getting equipment in order and tapping trees.
By the time mid-February rolls around, everything is ready.
As days begin to warm up into the 40s, sap begins to flow. The warmer temperatures cause the tree to send the sap up the trunk during the day, then freezing temps at night send it back into the ground.
As long as temperatures keep dipping below freezing at night, the sap will keep running. Sometimes this is a few weeks, and sometimes it lasts well into April.
When maple sap drips out of the tree, it’s faintly sweet and looks a lot like water. This liquid carries nutrients from the roots to the branches, prompting leaves to grow.
To draw the sap out of the tree, a maple farmer drills a small hole in the trunk, a few feet off the ground. A tree must be at least 40 years old to tap, and larger trees can handle up to three taps without damaging its health.
In the old days, farmers hung buckets on spouts bored into the tree. Modern farmers connect each tap into an extensive system of tubing that leads to a collecting tank.
Once the sap is collected, it’s put through a reverse osmosis system, removing over 50% of the water and reducing the boiling time by about half.
Then it’s boiled in long, flat evaporator pans until the sugar caramelizes and reaches 66 to 68% concentration, up from the starting level of 2%.
Lastly, the farmer filters out the sediment – called “sugar sand” – and bottles the syrup.
On average, it takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup. Depending on the qualities of the sap and the boiling time, syrup can have a variety of different colors and flavors.
It’s these differences that earn each batch a different “grade.”
From Light and Mild to Dark and Strong – There Are Many Ways to Enjoy Maple Syrup
You’ve likely seen different syrups in the grocery store labeled “Grade A Golden,” “Grade A Amber” or “Grade A Dark.”
Each batch of syrup produced is graded by color and flavor before it can be sold to consumers. After evaluating a batch’s density, clarity, flavor and color, graders assign one of the following grades:
- Golden–Delicate: With a mild, delicate flavor, this grade is popular for making maple creams and candies.
- Amber–Rich: Deeper in color with a fuller maple flavor, many people prefer this grade for pouring on pancakes, waffles and fruits.
- Dark–Robust: With a more pronounced maple flavor and dark amber color, this grade is the most popular for use as a table syrup, and the most widely used by restaurants. Before regulatory changes in 2015, it was known as “Grade B.”
- Very Dark–Strong: This grade is less common, but as its name suggests, it is very dark and imparts a strong maple flavor to foods, making it great for baking.
In addition to the basic elements that earn each batch its official grade, there are dozens of other flavors that can add nuance. From notes of caramel or vanilla to woody or spicy undertones, each batch of maple syrup is unique.
In fact, there are so many delicious variations that maple syrup connoisseurs developed a maple syrup “flavor wheel.”
A Sweetener Full of Delicious Distinctions
Because your maple syrup is a natural product drawn from trees, it has slight variations in flavor from producer to producer and batch to batch.
Designed by maple product scientists at Centre ACER in Canada (a center for research and development in agriculture), the maple syrup flavor wheel recognizes 13 different flavors that can be present in maple syrup, including:
- Confectionary
- Vanilla
- Milky
- Empyreumatic (faint burnt or smoked notes)
- Floral
- Fruity
- Spicy (like cinnamon or cloves)
- Woody
Even within each of the flavor categories there are distinctions, highlighting how complex the sweet flavor of maple syrup can be.
Factors such as geographic location of the trees, the time of the season when the sap is tapped and the length of the boiling process can all contribute to variations.
Nutrient variants, such as the levels and types of polyphenols and antioxidants, can also contribute to taste differences.
Another factor that contributes to the quality of your maple syrup is how the farmer manages the forest and the production process…
The Difference Organic Makes with Maple Syrup
You might think that all maple syrup is organic. After all, it all comes from maple trees. But the details of maple syrup production can be more complex than you might expect.
For example, did you know that some maple syrups aren’t even vegan?
That’s because some producers use animal fats as defoaming agents in the boiling process. And many use synthetic chemical defoamers made from petroleum – so technically vegan, but far from earth friendly.
But it’s even more complicated than that – synthetic defoamers don’t disclose the ingredients, so it’s not entirely certain they are free of animal products.
This is a problem you’ll never run into with organic maple syrup.
Farmers who meet organic standards for maple syrup use only organic vegetable oils for defoaming. This ensures the final product is vegan and allergen free.
Organic maple farmers must also meet high standards in caring for the sugarbush – the name for the stand of trees harvested for syrup. These standards include:
- Synthetic chemicals are prohibited – fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and paints – anywhere near the maple trees for a minimum of three years before organic production can begin.
- Buffer zones are required between the sugarbush and contaminated land.
- Ecosystem diversity standards require at least 20% of the trees in a sugarbush to be a species other than sugar maple.
- Written forest management plans must be maintained by the farmer, describing plans for diversity management, regeneration and biomass recycling.
When you choose organic maple syrup, you support sustainable practices while getting the purest, best-tasting maple syrup available.
Crafted From the Sap of a Single 40-Acre Maple Farm, Our Pure Maple Syrup is Part of the Growing Biodynamic Revolution
Here at Solspring, we believe that every person has a role to play in contributing to the health and well-being of our planet.
We also believe in delicious food. And our environmentally conscious farming practices provide just that – pure maple syrup that is taking organic to the next level.
Produced on a family-owned maple farm in western Wisconsin, Solspring® In-Conversion Biodynamic® Organic Maple Syrup is a robust, Grade A Dark syrup. It’s part of the revolution that’s restoring vibrant health to our planet, and life to our foods.
After almost 30 years of certified organic operation, the farm is taking the necessary steps to earn the gold-standard of regenerative certification: Demeter Certified Biodynamic®.
Biodynamic farming focuses on regenerating and protecting the fertility and biodiversity in our soil. After a hundred years of widespread chemical agriculture, more and more farmers are seeing the damage chemicals have caused…
And we’re proud to support one of these farmers while he works toward the highest level of environmentally conscious sugarbush management and syrup production.
A Maple Farmer Who Knows What It Takes to Make Exceptional Maple Syrup
Growing up in northeast Ohio, Cecil Wright watched plenty of maple syrup production as a kid. Now a maple farmer himself, he jokes that his job is “hugging trees.”
When he moved to Wisconsin in 1997 and bought his own 40-acre sugarbush, he set it up as organic from the very beginning. He had worked with dangerous pesticide sprays as a young man and wanted to take better care of himself and the earth.
Today, he taps thousands of trees ranging in age from 50 to 150 years old.
Committed to environmental responsibility, Cecil and his family even choose sustainability in their personal lives, living in a passive solar home which conserves energy by heating the house without a furnace.
Cecil is well known to the people in his hometown – he’s always involved in community projects, like building the first soccer field in the county.
Passionate about regenerative farming, he’s also a true northerner… Cecil says his favorite part of maple farming is being out repairing lines, knee-deep in January snow.
We’re delighted to bring you In-Conversion Biodynamic® Maple Syrup, grown, tapped and processed by Cecil Wright on his Wisconsin sugarbush for the 2023 sugar season.
What It Means to Be “In-Conversion” – And Why You’ll Love This Maple Syrup
Cecil is taking his farm to the highest level of ecological management by converting to Demeter Certified Biodynamic®.
Demeter the oldest ecological certification in the world, established in Germany in 1928.
The approach is based on a philosophy which views the farm as an organism rather than a factory, respecting the interconnectedness of soil, plants and animals and their dependence on natural cycles.
Biodynamic farming focuses on nurturing the health of the soil as the foundation of life.
When a farmer decides to convert to Certified Biodynamic®, there’s a period of time when the farm can be considered “In-Conversion” if:
- The farm has submitted an application.
- A Demeter inspector has been to the property and judged it able to obtain certification within a three-year period and an inspection report has been issued qualifying the farm for "in conversion" status.
- There is a projected date of certification.
For conventional farms, certification takes at least three years, and for certified organic farms – like Cecil’s – it’s just one year.
When you purchase In-Conversion Biodynamic® Maple Syrup, you support Cecil’s maple farm during its conversion to Biodynamic.
And you get to enjoy the deliciously complex sweetness of pure, single-source, certified organic – soon-to-be Certified Biodynamic® – maple syrup from Wisconsin.
Enjoy the Distinctive Sweetness of Pure Maple Syrup, and Support the Biodynamic Revolution
Whether maple syrup had mythical beginnings or it found its way into Native American cuisine as an ordinary cooking discovery, its place in North American fare is now legendary.
Solspring® In-Conversion Biodynamic® Organic Maple Syrup brings you the finest Grade A Dark maple syrup available, while supporting the growth of biodynamic farming.
Grown and produced on Cecil Wright’s 40-acre sugarbush in Western Wisconsin, it’s proudly Certified Organic, vegan, non-GMO, and allergen and gluten free.
Grade A Dark maple syrup is celebrated for its versatility. Enjoy it in the familiar traditional ways – on pancakes and waffles, in oatmeal and desserts. Or use it to add nuanced sweetness to smoothies, sauces, marinades and glazes.
However you like to savor the sweetness of maple syrup, you’ll absolutely love savoring this one.
Enjoy the distinctive sweetness of pure maple syrup and support the pioneering work of our biodynamic farmers, and Order Solspring® In-Conversion Biodynamic® Organic Maple Syrup today.
