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The Real Deal

Growing up in Vermont, I didn't know that not everyone put pure Vermont maple syrup on their pancakes, waffles or ice cream. On a family trip outside New England, I was admonished by my father to order something other than pancakes for breakfast because the syrup would be "fake" maple syrup. Unable to forego the pancakes or heed the parental warning the breakfast arrived with the aforementioned "fake" syrup. Dad was right—it was disappointing.

It's hard to explain to folks outside the New England area what a joy pure maple syrup brings to any breakfast table. It's so ingrained throughout our culture in Vermont —plus it's our signature product, we are kinda biased. And its flavor is so rich and unique that many folks around the country just don't understand the big deal.

But what a wonderous process. In the spring, Maple trees are "tapped" and when the temperature rises above thirty two, they drip a slightly sweet watery sap which is collected in buckets hanging from a spigot, or in more modern maple sugaring operations, through plastic tubing which is connected to collecting tanks. Then the sap is boiled down to create a thick syrup. Approximately forty gallons of sap are required to produce one gallon of maple syrup, making maple syrup a pricey commodity.

--Lisa