Maple syrup is created by extracting the sap of the xylem from black maple, sugar maple, and red maple trees.In cold and freezing climates, the trunks and roots are used by these trees to store their starch. Maple sap is extracted from the trees using the simple means of drilling holes in the trees.The origin of maple syrup is traced back to the indigenous people who used the syrup in day-to-day proposes. The indigenous people taught the practice to early European settlers, who through trial and error based on processed ideas, refined the product. Ever since then, maple syrup has become a household product all across the world, and with a vast amount of maple trees grown in Canada, the country has become the largest exporter of the product as it contributes to almost 85% of the global export. Quebec, the Canadian province, alone is responsible for exporting 70% of maple syrup export from Canada.For more such interesting facts do check out how is margarine made and how is maida made. How much of the world’s maple syrup is made in Canada?Canada is one of the largest manufacturers of maple syrup in the world and is responsible for more than 85% of the global maple syrup production.In short, this sweet treat is made by deriving maple sap followed by the evaporating of the sap in an evaporator and collecting the maple syrup.Maple syrup, being the delicious and sweet treat that it is, has gone through various high-grade production methods over the years as with correct weather conditions, gallons of sap are extracted from maple trees to create pure maple syrup. Canadians take pride in their quality maple sugar production which serves as a true connection to nature with quality results that has helped the country to come to the forefront of the industry as they have tapped into the highest potential of maple syrup which has lower sugar content in comparison to honey.As Canada produces more maple syrup, the usage of maple syrup has gone beyond the traditional waffles and pancakes as this low sugar content liquid produce is now a part of natural flavoring too. The industry continues to grow as gallons upon gallons are exported to the rest of the world to get a taste of and following this high-density export, Canada produces 85% of the global flow of maple syrup in the market. The weather conditions of Canada which range from cold spring nights to warmer temperatures in the daytime helps in the natural production of clear-colored maple sap that is used to create maple syrup. The provinces of Ontario, Nova Scotia, Quebec, and New Brunswick are some of the largest producers as they take gallons of sap from maple trees and create buckets of high-quality maple syrup. Not to forget, it was the country’s natives that taught early settlers how maple syrup is created as they demonstrated the process of harvesting sap from maple trees and boiling it, which in return, produced maple syrup. Until 1875, maple syrup was used as the standard sweetener throughout the eastern regions of North America but eventually was partly replaced as the taste of people changed with the availability of cane sugar.How is 100% pure maple syrup made?Since Canada is the largest producer of maple syrup, there are several rules and regulations revolving around the creation of 100% pure or organic maple syrup creation.The Maple Products Regulations Act makes it difficult for any producer to label their products are pure maple sugar, pure maple syrup, or maple sugar unless the product has gone through various degrees of the creation process which includes the process of dividing water from the maple sap and in the case of syrups, a required percentage of 65-68% sugar is required. These rules and regulations are must be followed before any grades can be assigned to the products which can only be done through proper certification. In some cases, farmers are often fined as they try to change the taste of their product by adding sugar or any other form of preservatives.Pure 100% maple syrup is the result of directly deriving maple sap to make maple syrup following the evaporating of the sap in an evaporator and collecting the best quality maple syrup, which is usually rated as a Grade A product that has no further additives or any artificial sweetener to make the syrup sweeter.During the sugaring season, large-scale producers make use of plastic pipes, vacuum pumps, and tubes to gather the sap flow. After the gathering and tubing procedures, some manufactures use water to clean the lines and some useful solutions sold in wine stores. This method results in a product that is clean for collection and is relatively safe to some degrees for direct consumption. As long as organic compounds are used in a farm or sugarhouse, the product will get organic certification.Pure 100% maple syrup is also obtained by avoiding chemical fertilizers or pesticides near the maple trees as animal waste, dead trees, and decaying leaves yield the best result. As a matter of fact, there are hardly any instances of fertilizers being used to increase the sap yield in farm or sugarhouse environments from the collection process till they are thrown into the evaporator for boiling.How is sap taken from a tree and made into maple syrup?The extraction of maple sap is a pretty easy procedure that requires a fair amount of knowledge of tapping, maple sugaring, and boiling.A maple tree has a water percentage of 98% and 2% of sugar. This 2% of sap is what will yield a delicious end product. In the sugaring season under preferable temperatures, it takes almost 40 gal (182 l) of sap from a sugarbush (maple forest) to create 1 gal (4.5 l) of maple syrup. The process is easy if you know what you are doing as the idea is to simply boil the sap till there is no water left and then to extract the sugar from which maple syrup is made.Follow the steps below to make your own version of maple syrup!First, you will need to mark your preferred maple tree as during the winter season, the trees will lose their leaves and it will be tough to determine which tree you chose. Look for old trees that are between 10-12 in (25.4-30.5 cm) diameter as these trees are large enough to go through the tapping process. Drill a 3-4 in (7.6-10.2 cm) hole on the south side of the tree at an upward angle, and use a hammer to tap the spout. Use a bucket, pan, or whatever storage method to collect the sap. Buckets are usually recommended. The sap will eventually fill the bucket as it slowly pours down the hole made in the maple tree. The sap needs to be boiled - you can do it indoors or outdoors are you see fit. In case you are doing it on a large scale, you will need an evaporator. Use a hydrometer to read the content and temperature of the product as 66% sugar content is approved maple syrup. To make your maple syrup last weeks and months, you will need to bottle it while the sap is still hot, and then store it in a refrigerator or a dark location at room temperature.Usually, the best season to collect sap from maple trees to create your own syrup is between February to mid-March, i.e. the spring season when the temperature is neither too hot nor too cold. Sugary maple sap is extracted from trees using the tapping technique by farmers during this period. For household purposes small amounts of sap are satiable but for large-scale reproduction, the saps are taken to sugarhouses where they go through the entire procedure where a tank or large container is used to store the several gallons of the product. In some cases, it is even possible to eat maple syrup straight from the tree!How is sugar-free maple syrup made?There are many people who want to control their sugar intake but still want a taste of that sweet maple syrup, and for them, sugar-free maple syrup can be a great substitute as it follows the same procedure but with additives to give taste to the product.Sugar-free maple syrup is great to use on food like pancakes, waffles, ice cream, and other food products. The artificial sweeteners added to maple syrup include cellulose gum, salt, caramel colors, phosphoric acid, citric acid, and potassium sorbate which are used to preserve the freshness of the product in storage for several seasons. These additives to some degree, help in controlling cavities and tooth decay among larger contributions to the body that help in weight control since artificial sweeteners do not have calories.The advantages of using sugar-free maple syrup on your food are great as compared to ingesting sugar directly, say in the form of honey. A tablespoon of maple syrup consists of 52 calories with 0.3-0.46 oz (11-13 g) of sugar and 0.46-0.49 oz (13-14 g) of carbohydrates. The glycemic index for sugar-free maple syrup is 54 and honey is 19. Due to this high glycemic count, sugar-free maple syrup does not raise the blood sugar level easily. That said, maple syrup does have several health benefits compared to syrups with artificial sweeteners. Maple syrup contains several antioxidants that are often helpful to the body. Researches have estimated that maple syrup has almost 24 different antioxidants present in them which are extremely beneficial in reducing damage caused by any form of inflammation that might end up causing any chronic illness in the body. Maple syrups of high grades, especially the darker ones, are recommended since they contain more helpful antioxidants than maple syrups of lower grades.Maple syrup can also play good effects on the body by several degrees as it provides ample amount of nutrition, especially syrups with high grades, which help in the reduction of polyphenol antioxidants that can cause heart diseases, bowel malfunctions, and arthritis. The plant-based compounds found in maple syrups also help in preventing stress, which is responsible for quick aging and decreasing the proper function of immunity in people. Maple syrup can also be used on the skin as it can help in lowering the chances of blemishes, skin inflammation, and dryness. A mixture of maple syrup along with raw honey or yogurt can be applied as a mask to reduce irritation of the skin as it helps in hydrating the skin pores.In certain cases, maple syrup is a great product that helps in supplying the body with important minerals and vitamins. Fairly high amounts of zinc and manganese are found in maple syrups along with calcium and potassium. Zinc helps in improving the immunity of the body as it keeps the white blood cell count high, whereas manganese helps in metabolic functions as it controls the carbohydrate, nerve function, regulation of blood sugar, and absorption of calcium by the body.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for ‘Canada’s Pride: How Is Maple Syrup Made? Cool Facts For Kids!’ then why not take a look at ‘How Is Lactose Free Milk Made? Curious Milk Facts Everyone Should Know!’, or ‘Why Do People Like Spicy Food? 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Maple syrup is created by extracting the sap of the xylem from black maple, sugar maple, and red maple trees.
