Image by diapicard from Pixabay

Calling all Northerners, and those who wish they were Northerners (although I’m guessing

there isn’t many this time of year:).” It’s time to return to some down-home cooking with Gram’s

pancakes, waffles, sausages and home fries all while drizzled with Vermont’s finest, pure maple

syrup.

That’s right: Tuesday December 17 was National Maple Syrup Day. Although Canada leads the

world in maple syrup production followed by the United States, Vermont leads the United States

in maple sugar production. Did you know there are many different kinds of maple trees from

which maple syrup is derived from?0 Sugar maple, red maple and black maple trees tend to be

the most popular where sap originates.Maple trees are storing starch in their roots and trunks

this time of year. During the spring season, the starch is gradually thawing into sugar becoming

what we call, sap.

The term “Tapped” means that holes are drilled into the base of trees to collect such substance.

A heating process occurs next where the water quickly evaporates from the syrup, leaving

behind pure maple syrup. A sugar shack has become known as the convenient place where this

method of convection takes place.

Many people have commercialized the process of tapping by wrapping tubes around many trees

to gather as much sap as possible at one time. In some cases, the tubes lead directly to a sugar

shake, or in other more advanced set-ups, the tubes lead to a commercial truck where the sap is

then brought to a more advanced building. There you have it; how pure maple syrup is derived.