the maple journal

everything else

• Maple 101

  What is pancake syrup made of?

  Pancake syrup is its own product with its own rulebook. Here's what goes into it, and why it isn't maple syrup.

• Maple 101

  Switching from pancake syrup to real maple syrup

  It pours thinner, it tastes different and it goes in the fridge. Here's what to expect from your first tin of the real thing.

• Maple 101

  What "maple flavored" means on a syrup label

  Maple syrup, pancake syrup, maple flavored: the terms sound alike and mean different things. Here's what each one tells you.

• Maple 101

  Maple syrup vs. corn syrup: what's the difference?

  One comes from a tree and one comes from corn starch. Here's how maple syrup and corn syrup are made, and what each one is for.

• Maple 101

  Is maple syrup good for you? An honest answer

  The honest answer: it's a sugar, and it counts as added sugar. Here's what's in a serving, how it compares with pancake syrup, and what the research does and doesn't show.

• Maple 101

  Amber vs. Dark maple syrup: which one should you buy?

  Both are Grade A pure maple syrup. Amber is the everyday pour and Dark brings more maple to cooking and baking, so here's how to choose.

• Maple 101

  A short history of maple syrup

  Long before Europeans arrived, Indigenous peoples across the Northeast and Great Lakes were tapping maples and boiling sap into sugar. Here's how sugaring got from there to here.

• Maple 101

  How maple trees are tapped for syrup

  A small hole, a spout and some patience. Here's how sugar makers choose trees, drill tapholes and collect the sap that becomes maple syrup.

• Maple 101

  How much sap does one maple tree make?

  Sugar makers count sap by the tap. Here's what one tap gives in a season, how much syrup that boils down to, and why no two trees or years match.

• Maple 101

  How to store maple syrup (and does it go bad?)

  Unopened, keep it somewhere cool and dark. Once it's open, use the fridge or freezer, and if you ever see mold, throw it out.

• Maple 101

  Is maple syrup just tree sap? Sap vs. syrup, explained

  Sap is thin, clear and only slightly sweet, and syrup is that same sap boiled down to about two thirds sugar. Here's what changes along the way, and why it takes so much sap.

• Maple 101

  Maple cream, maple sugar and maple candy, explained

  Maple cream, maple candy and maple sugar all start as pure maple syrup. What sets them apart is how far the syrup is boiled and how it's cooled and stirred.

• Maple 101

  Maple words, explained: sap, sugarbush, sugarhouse and more

  Sugar makers have their own vocabulary. Here are 19 maple words, from sap to sugar on snow, explained in plain English.

• Baking

  Maple syrup vs. honey: how they taste and cook

  One comes from trees, the other from bees. Here's how maple syrup and honey compare on flavor, texture and how they act in your kitchen.

• Baking

  How to swap maple syrup for sugar in baking

  Use 3/4 cup of maple syrup for each cup of sugar, trim the liquid and turn the oven down 25°F. Here's the full swap, with a worked example.

• Maple 101

  What the word Vermont means on a maple syrup label

  Vermont has its own maple rules. Here's what they require, from a slightly thicker syrup to what it takes to put the word Vermont on a label.

• Maple 101

  What wood-fired maple syrup means

  Wood-fired describes the fire under the evaporator, nothing more official than that. Here's how the setup works and how wood compares with oil.

• Maple 101

  What happened to Grade B maple syrup?

  Grade B didn't disappear: it got a new name. Here's what it's called now and how the old grades line up with the new ones.