slo’s FRIDAY poll - Maple Syrup

[BayouQueen]

I keep on hand a bottle of Mrs. Butterworth's and a bottle of "pure." I mix the two -- both for cost and flavor.

 

[Kittyblue]

Reading this I just realized I haven't made pancakes in ages. I think there's some Aunt Jemima lite in the pantry.

 

[E&Cmom]

Regular! Never the fake stuff. I grew up in Quebec so the real one for me. We get the the Costco Kirkland brand..

 

[a1tinkfans]

I buy the Dark maples syrup. We also keep a lite one … aunt J… unless they changed the name now??

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I don't buy syrup or eat pancakes/waffles. However I really DO like it, I just don't need those calories.

 

[goooof1]

The real stuff for us for several years now. Before that it was Mrs. Butterworth always. But I grew up with an awful imitation maple flavor mixed with sugar and water and heated up......talk about watery !!!
So, now it's 100% maple syrup (Trader Joes or Safeway brands are fine..... as long as they are real maple !!)

 

[1GoldenSun]

I love love love real maple syrup. I would be so happy to live somewhere where it is made. Since I don't, I buy the good stuff that is imported from where it is made. That fake stuff is kind of disgusting to me, but I do keep a bottle of it for when I make pancakes or waffles after my son's sleepovers. I'm not wasting my good stuff on kids who can't appreciate it.

 

[sweetpeama]

1st choice 100% pure maple syrup from real maple sugar that we usually end up getting at the health food store just to avoid standing for what seams forever in the aisle reading labels or one person at home reading brand labels on line and another in the store going yep they have this or no they don't. We also as a family process our own hogs which means since we like the maple flavor we use a lot of syrup in our hams and bacons which are then slow smoked along with about half of the sausage.
2nd choice making our own with real not immitation maple flavoring using water and sugar on the stove
3rd choice searching to find an artifical maple syrup made with sugar not corn syrup. My oldest's best friend is allergic to corn and my youngest has much less behavior problems when we limit products with corn syrup in them.

On a final note we don't need sugar free syrups in our house but I do wonder if it would not be possible to make a sugar free version for those who would need it. Upon doing a little research it appears there are a number of recipes online.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Only real, but we only have it about half the time. When I run out, I don't immediately buy new. If we're out, for pancakes I use either butter/powdered sugar/lemon or Lyle's Golden Syrup and pecans.

Only real here, too. Grade A for drizzling on breakfasts and desserts, grade B for adding to meat glazes, salad dressings, and things like that. We also love butter/powdered sugar/lemon (Dutch Baby Pancakes!) and DH is a big fan of Lyle's Golden Syrup, so that's always in the pantry. We also use birch syrup and apple cider syrup.

 

[monarchsfan16]

Born and raised in NH with NH raised parents and grandparents. I will only buy real maple syrup, NH or Vermont made, for me. Obviously at a restaurant I'll eat the fake stuff because there's generally not a choice.

My husband was raised by Connecticut transplants so he uses the fake stuff. Sugar free for him so extra fake. But having him use that definitely helps balance out the cost for my syrup

 

[stitch'sgirl]

My poll answer was a little different. I buy syrup for everyone else in the house but I hate the taste of maple. I also don't like waffles, even if they are shaped like Mickey and I like pancakes even less.

There used to be a name brand syrup that was vanilla flavored but it is no longer made. If I can find the berry syrups, I'll buy those but miss the vanilla.

 

[Disneylover99]

I picked up a bottle of maple syrup this morning. My family loves it and won’t accept any substitutions. Lol.

But I’m just as happy with a no-name table syrup.

 

[fla4fun]

I very rarely buy syrup unless I am making my version of the Le Cellier polenta. For that I need real maple syrup.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I know it is not syrup, but I have discovered some maple flavored coffee at Aldi. I gotta say that stuff is pretty great! (the box does indicate that it is seasonal though)

 

[Julie's Haircut]

We like the good fake stuff. Log Cabin, Pearl Milling (Aunt Jemima), etc. DW has to use sugar free now for health reasons.

Wasn't Mrs. Butterworth's suppose to change the bottle because some woke people said it looked too much like a stereotypical "Mammy"? Even through old TV commercials featured a white grandmotherly woman with pulled back hair in a bun.

The last time I checked, some bottles of Mrs. Butterworth's say ConAgra, others Pinnacle Foods.

 

[Julie's Haircut]

Buying real maple syrup in a health food store?

There ain't nothin' "healthy" about maple syrup, despite what some snake oil PR people might say. They selectively pull certain statistics out of their butts while ignoring others. If anything, the claim should be "Real Maple Syrup isn't quite as horrible as the HFCS kind."

Oh, and much of the real maple syrup sold in tourist shops in those quaint Picture Postcard Perfect Vermont towns is produced in Canada. Even those that are bottled in Vermont. Quebec produces about 80%+ of the world's maple syrup. There just isn't enough produced in Vermont to satisfy demand. Practically every supermarket brand will say "Product of USA and Canada," wherever they can get it that week. Or a blend of both.

 

[Dan Murphy]

woke people

What are 'woke people'?

 

[bcla]

I buy regular. I guess I didn't realize they make light maple syrup or sugar free maple syrup. It comes out of a tree--how do they remove the sugar?

The original post did mention artificial. There are some hybrid ones that contain some of all real maple syrup flavoring with an artificial sweetener and thickeners. But then the total artificial ones (think McDonald's hotcake syrup or Log Cabin) may be flavored with fenugreek and corn syrup.

Also - I understand that the original maple syrup gradings were really designed more as as a substitute for neutral table sugar, where a lighter flavor was actually considered more desirable. Real maple is made by boiling off the water, and there's lighter or darker syrup at the final boil point depending on when in the season it's tapped. But I liked the old grade B, which had a much stronger maple flavor and a deeper, brown color.

 

[Kae]

We only get real Maple Syrup.

 

[bcla]

Buying real maple syrup in a health food store?

There ain't nothin' "healthy" about maple syrup, despite what some snake oil PR people might say. They selectively pull certain statistics out of their butts while ignoring others. If anything, the claim should be "Real Maple Syrup isn't quite as horrible as the HFCS kind."

Oh, and much of the real maple syrup sold in tourist shops in those quaint Picture Postcard Perfect Vermont towns is produced in Canada. Even those that are bottled in Vermont. Quebec produces about 80%+ of the world's maple syrup. There just isn't enough produced in Vermont to satisfy demand. Practically every supermarket brand will say "Product of USA and Canada," wherever they can get it that week. Or a blend of both.

Vermont produces maybe a quarter what Quebec does. And it does make sense because Quebec is so much bigger than Vermont. But from what I've heard, producers in Quebec are terrified at the possibility that New York state might start making more since they actually have more sugar maple trees that aren't being tapped yet.

Certainly there might be some that's blended from different sources. And the real key is that the sources in Quebec are generally cheaper.

Also - the grading was changed a few years ago, so there's no more USDA grade B. I have a small bottle of some Wisconsin U.S. grade A dark amber. The label says "formerly grade B". Anything that doesn't meet grade A standards has to be sold as "processing grade" for use in making other things.

https://www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards/maple-syrup-grades-standards