the maple journal: maple 101

Maple 101
Real maple syrup vs. pancake syrup: what's the difference?
One is boiled maple sap, and the other is usually flavored corn syrup. Here's what each one is, what the label can say, and how to tell them apart.
Maple 101
How to read a maple syrup label and spot the real thing
The label tells you almost everything. Here's how to check the name, ingredients, grade and origin to make sure you're buying pure maple syrup.
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
How maple syrup is made, from sap to tin
A short Vermont season, a lot of sap and a long boil. Here's how sap from a maple tree becomes the syrup in your tin.
Maple 101
Maple syrup grades explained, from Golden to Very Dark
Golden, Amber, Dark and Very Dark are all Grade A. What changes is color and flavor, and both get deeper as the season goes on.
Maple 101
Why Vermont makes the most maple syrup in the US
Vermont makes a little over half of all the maple syrup in the US. Here's what the state has going for it, from its sugar maples to its spring weather.
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.
Maple 101
What single-forest maple syrup means
Most maple syrup leaves the farm in bulk and gets packed by someone else. Single-forest syrup comes from one place, and here's what that means.