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alternative to maple syrup | (Read 4243 times) |
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paul wheaton
Administrator
Posts: 1343
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April 13, 2005, 07:28:16 AM |
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I'm trying to eat only organic these days and real maple syrup costs a small fortune.
I remember making syrup out of something called "mapeline" (sp?) - but what is that stuff? I tried to google, but I keep getting recipes for how to make syrup.
I wonder about alternatives to maple syrup that I might be able to make the same way: sugar, water and .... flavoring. Vanilla?
Any ideas?
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Marilyn Queiroz
Administrator
Posts: 59
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April 13, 2005, 05:54:46 PM |
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maple extract?
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Marshelia
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August 10, 2005, 08:07:28 AM |
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You can always tap trees yourself and get what they call maple sap to eat, drink and cook with. It is just what it says...maple sap. You can make tea with it, cook with it and use it for tonics and such. You do have to wait for winter so you don't harm the trees but then you can tap them and even put some up for later use.
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Jim
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October 18, 2005, 04:42:34 PM |
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Hi
Just curious, did you ever find Mapeline anywhere?
Jim
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paul wheaton
Administrator
Posts: 1343
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October 24, 2005, 08:50:55 PM |
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Found mapleine. Also found "natural maple flavor" (not sure what it's made of).
Also tried something I found somewhere else where organic sugar is mixed with water and lots of cinnamon. Good! And cheap!
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serena
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November 20, 2005, 08:31:35 AM |
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Its called Cheater Pancake syrup!
Go to this website, recipes.allrecipes.com and type in cheater pancake syrup! 
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dirtworks
Posts: 65
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December 10, 2006, 02:31:36 PM |
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Ya know... If you consider how much Maple Syrup you actually use at a sitting, it really doesn't cost that much, especially if you compare it to the cost of a cup of codde at the store and all those drinks people buy out of the cooler in little bottles and cartons or the cost of chips and things like that we buy all the time. It's all about perspective.
Is 50 cents too much to spend on a healthy breakfast? For most people, a gallon is a lot of maple syrup and lasts for months in the kitchen. Buy the real stuff. Support a farmer and make the wortld a better place. It's easy and good for you too!
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Sourdough
Posts: 4
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February 03, 2007, 02:55:52 AM |
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Not only is maple syrup - the real thing, especially - good on pancakes, but it also enhances the flavor of a cup of coffee if you generally stir in some sugar. Whenever I get to have breakfast at a Cracker Barrel I ask for an extra couple of the little bottles of syrup they serve. Just the right size for two cups of java.
At home, when I can't get to the store to pick up the real stuff, I make artificial syrup from my own recipe which is similar to the ones here.
Birch syrup isn't bad either, although less flavorful than maple. But all I have now are black spruce trees and they don't produce anything but firewood!
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heidi
Posts: 3
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February 14, 2008, 05:29:22 PM |
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I'm brand new, so hi! Couple of thoughts on the maple syrup:
I agree that buying it bulk and using in small quantities is worth it (Trader Joe and dare I say Costco have good prices on organic, though I'm not sure how it wouldn't be organic anyway), I love mine on pancakes mixed with yogurt;
a friend of mine moved to Minnesota and she sent me maple syrup she made herself which was incredible, and they use it there as their only sweetener, so maybe make a friend in Minnesota?;
maple syrup can be extracted from our bigleaf maple trees here, and I think this time of year might even be a good time for it, though I hear it's pretty thin and weak. I have a bunch of bigleaf maple on my property out here in Duvall if any of you want to experiment... I think it's pretty easy, just have to be patient. I might try anyway now and see what happens.
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alexisavoire
Posts: 120
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April 12, 2008, 11:00:32 AM |
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Had to attach this to maple syrup thread: simple and free if you live in the right cold zone.
From his boyhood in Vermont, Brown, now a natural resources agent at the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Ithaca, recalls the sweet taste of boiling maple syrup on soft, fresh snow.
The maple sap, when boiled, turns into thick syrup. When poured on fresh snow, it becomes a taffy that can be scooped by hand or with a fork. This syrup-snow taffy is called "jack wax."
Maple syrup doesn't work very well with ice, Brown said. Packed snow is best for these sweet patties. Brown likes to pack soft, fresh snow into a bucket and then drizzle down the hot, thick syrup.
"It was a tradition in Vermont," Brown said. "We ate it with dill pickles and doughnuts."
Brown said he enjoys the queer combo. The sweet and sour tastes complement each other, he said.
"I always joke about it," he said, "that it was probably our earliest exposure to something similar to Chinese food."
The maple syrup and snow mix is an age-old tradition. Even before Europeans came to North America, Iroquois, Abenaki and other Native Americans who maintained "sugar bushes" poured maple syrup on snow to make their own snow candy.
Traditionally, this treat was the feature of the "sugaring off" party held at the sugar house to celebrate the end of the syrup harvest, said Karl Wiles, owner of the Cedarvale Maple Syrup Company on Pleasant Valley Road.
"People just enjoy it," Wiles said. "I haven't seen anybody who has health concerns about eating snow."
Cedarvale has its own official recipe for jack wax. Heat maple syrup to 230 degrees. While hot, pour on snow or crushed ice and eat, preferably with your fingers.
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rachael hamblin
Posts: 129
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April 12, 2008, 06:43:02 PM |
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What is the process for tapping a tree for sap?
Also, does anyone know how to make sweeteners from fruit? Maybe apples?
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paul wheaton
Administrator
Posts: 1343
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April 13, 2008, 07:59:25 AM |
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That's probably two new threads. Or ... I think somewhere around here I made a thread that is riddled with youtube videos of tapping maple trees. That might be of help. And as for the apple stuff, I have heard of people making apple syrup and I think I remember someone taking it a step further to make apple sugar. But my memory is quite foggy.
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rachael hamblin
Posts: 129
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April 13, 2008, 10:59:39 PM |
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Alright, new thread time it is  .
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