Real Maple syrup ideas please

[MAKmom]

Does anyone have any healthy ideas for making real Maple Syrup go furthure?

I have replaced almost all of the unhealthy foods in our diets.
High Fructose Corn Syrup is on the bad list. The last item I have to get rid of is pancake & waffle syrup. I have a Taders Joes that sells REAL MAPLE SYRUP for about $7.00 a bottle..I know it's a good price...But used to pay $1.49 .
My Children eat pancakes every morning...DD has Milk Allergies.

 

[grlpwrd]

I think Costco and Sam's Club sells a bigger-sized container compared to the Trader Joe's one, but those are not certified organic.

There are recipes for fruit syrups as an alternative, but they include sugar, so even if pure maple syrup is pricier it's a lot better for you as you may know.

Then again you could always tap a maple tree and collect the sap and make your own syrup. People actually do this - it's just very time consuming.

 

[MAKmom]

Then again you could always tap a maple tree and collect the sap and make your own syrup. People actually do this - it's just very time consuming.

I NEVER would have thought of this. Can you do It In PA? My friends will really think I have gone off the deep end. I bought a share in an organic farming co-op & orchard.

 

[Tiggeroo]

i doubt there's a way to extend it. However since it's for pancakes you can go for a lower grade. And if you're not concerned about organic, or even if you are, you should be able to buy it in a large can for less. But it will cost you alot more in the beginning. I can't afford to buy maple syrup in bulk so I buy it in the small bottles, use as little as I can and make it last. You can put cinnamon honey and butter or just honey butter or chopped up fruit with a bit of maple syrup on the pancakes to stretch it more.

 

[phillybeth]

The flavor of REAL maple syrup is much more intense than pancake syrup. You will need less to get the same flavor, however, your kids are probably used to putting a certain amount on their pancakes. I would start off diluting a small amount of syrup in some warm water until they get adjusted to the more intense flavor.

$7 for a bottle of maple syrup is really high. BJ's, Sam's club and Costco sell half gallons for just a bit more than that. And even if it is not certified, all maple syrup is organic.

 

[imsorry]

I mix it with honey, sometimes add fresh blueberries, blackberries or strawberries.

 

[Wish I lived in Fl]

$7 for a bottle of maple syrup is really high. BJ's, Sam's club and Costco sell half gallons for just a bit more than that. And even if it is not certified, all maple syrup is organic.

I had thought so also, then i read that the commercial farms paint a solution on the tree wounds to keep the sap flowing/ keep the tree from healing the tap.


My kids get their maple syrup in a tiny pitcher (such as for creamer) premeasured by me, otherwise they would pour on half a cup.

 

[Jen_in_NH]

If you can find a way to buy from a smaller maple producer, they tend to be a little bit cheaper (at least up here we are ). Depending on how mapley you like things to taste, buy darker syrup as opposed to the Grade A Fancy. The Fancy isn't as strong as the Medium Amber or the Dark Amber. If you like the stronger taste, you can try to find someone who will sell the Grade B syrup.

If you're only looking for the syrup to cook with, make friends with a syrup producer, and see if you can get cooking syrup from them. It's the stuff that is too dark to grade and sell, but most everyone keeps it and uses it to cook with.

Jen

 

[grlpwrd]

And even if it is not certified, all maple syrup is organic.

Well, I am a member of the boards at mothering.com and some folks have mentioned that some maple syrup may be considered nonorganic because the trees are sprayed which affects the sap and I've also read that some maple syrup producers use formaldahyde on the trees to get them to produce more unless it's certified organic. Plus, some producers plug the holes in the tree with formaldehyde pellets and use lead collection buckets.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

The suggestion I recieved was to place a measured amount of syrup into a dish and let the kids dip (each in their own dish). My girls get about a Tbsp a piece...or I just drizzle it (as opposed to dump it) on their pancakes.

We get pretty far on the little bottles from the store.

And even if it is not certified, all maple syrup is organic.

So not true!

That would be like saying an entire grocery store of food is organic when it isn't.
Might want to check up on that before making such claims.

(*not to be confused with the definition of organic as being derived from living organisms. That is not what the label of "organic" means when it comes to food).

 

[disneymom3]

I have ours in a little Tupperware container that has a no drip lid on it. That at least helps me to feel like the expensive drips are not being wasted. It also pours much more slowly than out of the bottle as it has a little spout on it.

I got about a gallon at Costco for around $15.

 

[MAKmom]

THANK YOU! All of the advice you guys gave me is so helpful. I will use it all!

 

[Randi]

I wouldn't worry too much about lead buckets, as most large scale operations use plastic pipelines to bring the sap right to the sugarhouse. Then they use huge stainless steel vats to boil it. It's the smaller farms who may still use the buckets and collect by hand, sometimes using horse drawn wagons. Also a tourist attraction (another way to make some money!)

As a native Vermonter, I swear by the "real stuff". I buy a gallon of grade A or B if available every other year from a small grocery in VT. Cost runs $40 to $50. Then I repackage it into glass Ball canning jars and use the screw on lids. Store in refrigerater. If crystals form on the bottom, heat slowly in a pan of hot tap water.

I use it on pancakes, waffles, etc. and cook with it too. Brushed on chicken breasts before baking is oooh so good. Maple cookies and muffins, yum.
Try the web site for King Arthur Flour for more recipes.

 

[jonestavern]

If you can find a way to buy from a smaller maple producer, they tend to be a little bit cheaper (at least up here we are ). Depending on how mapley you like things to taste, buy darker syrup as opposed to the Grade A Fancy. The Fancy isn't as strong as the Medium Amber or the Dark Amber. If you like the stronger taste, you can try to find someone who will sell the Grade B syrup.

If you're only looking for the syrup to cook with, make friends with a syrup producer, and see if you can get cooking syrup from them. It's the stuff that is too dark to grade and sell, but most everyone keeps it and uses it to cook with.
Jen

I'm reading yr post thinking, "that girls knows her maple syrup"
then I noticed yr state!
send DDad his supply of grade 'B' each year.
As for an alternative to maple syrup, I like to cook down blueberries or raspberries (other fruits work well, too), as if you're making preserves. they have a lot of natural sugar, but if you still need the sweetness add natural raw sugar or a good local honey or fruit juice--You can also just thin out yr own preserves straight from the jar--add fruit juice or water & warm in the micro
Oh dear, now I am craving good maple candies!

Jean

 

[MAKmom]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Yesterday I bought Trader Joe's grade B Maple syrup $9.99 for 32 oz. I have never had real maple syrup. It is so good! I was surprised how thin it is... I was expecting it to be real thick. The girls LOVED it. Eating healthy has turned into a full time job for me.

 

[mtemm]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Yesterday I bought Trader Joe's grade B Maple syrup $9.99 for 32 oz. I have never had real maple syrup. It is so good! I was surprised how thin it is... I was expecting it to be real thick. The girls LOVED it. Eating healthy has turned into a full time job for me.

that's how I was when I first tried it. I was in college and moved to new england from california. I haven't looked back...its really hard to eat the fake stuff after you get used to real maple syrup. not just flavor, but texture, too...the fake stuff is like glue to me know. ick.