My family and I spent a wonderful weekend exploring sugar shacks across the state of NH.  As you drive through the White Mountains and western NH you will see puffs of smoke emerging from the chimneys of the rustic sugar houses. Here in NH from mid Feb. through mid-April is maple sugaring time. This is the time of year when  mother nature is just waking up and giving us her first gift from nature.

Turning sap into pure maple syrup is quite an interesting process. As the frozen sap in the maple tree thaws, it begins to move and build up pressure within the tree. When the internal pressure reaches a certain point, sap will flow from any fresh wound in the tree. Freezing nights and warm sunny days create the pressure needed for a good sap harvest.
 
In late February, New Hampshire maple producers tap their sugar maples by drilling a small hole in the trunk and inserting a spout. A bucket or plastic tubing is fastened to the spout and the crystal clear sap drips from the tree. It is then collected and transported to the sugar house where it is boiled down in an evaporator over a blazing hot fire. As the steam rises from the evaporator pans, the sap becomes more concentrated until it finally reaches the proper density to be classified as syrup. It is then drawn from the evaporator, filtered, graded and bottled. It takes approximately forty gallons of sap to make one gallon of pure maple syrup. You will not find  Aunt Jemima out here at the sugar houses.

If you have not experienced the taste of real pure maple syrup it is quite different than processed syrup.  Most processed syrup contains little to no pure maple syrup at all.
Maple syrup comes in different grades, there is grade A nd B. Grade A comes in light, medium, and dark. The grade A light is made from the first sap that comes out of the trees, next the medium grade  A , then grade A dark, and finally grade B. Grade B contains the most nutrients. This is the maple syrup suggested for the “Master cleanse diet” or the “lemonade diet”.

There are many health benefits and vitamins found in pure maple syrup.  It contains calcium, niacin, biotin, folic acid, potassium, magnesium, phosphorous, iron, thiamin, copper, and vitamins B2, B5 and B6. It also contains high amounts of zinc and manganese which both help to strengthen the immune system.
Pure Maple syrup also makes an excellent choice for a sweetener, and has fewer calories and more minerals than honey. It is a versatile product that can be used in many recipes.  I also like the idea of supporting the small businesses that produce this magnificent gift from nature.