- what makes -

maple syrup?

Here in Montgomery Center

Maple is part of the culture. Almost everyone who grew up in Vermont has fond memories of spending time with family, friends and neighbors at local sugarhouses in the spring.

But outside of New England, the term “sugarbush” is unfamiliar, and when people think about where maple syrup comes from, they think of a plastic bottle on a grocery store shelf.

So, how can a tree -- with a little help from experienced sugar makers and modern technology -- produce the best taste in the world?

First, the maple producer drills a hole into the maple tree, then inserts a spout into the hole. This process is called “tapping.” The sap flows from the tree and through the spout, either into a bucket hanging from the tap (the old-school version) or into plastic tubing that sends the sap into a large collection tank (the modern upgrade). Vacuum pumps make the transport of sap through the plastic lines more efficient than gravity alone.

Once the sap is in the storage tank, it’s often run through a reverse-osmosis machine, which removes some of the water from the sap before it’s boiled in a large evaporator – which is basically one or more stainless steel pans placed over a heat source. In the old days, these were exclusively fueled by wood fire; now, the heat source might be wood fired, oil, or natural gas.

The sap is boiled until it reaches 219 degrees, at which point much of its water content has evaporated, leaving behind a thick, rich syrup. The syrup is drawn off from the evaporator, filtered and sampled for grade, flavor and color.

A typical sugaring season lasts about 4 to 6 weeks, depending on weather conditions. In order for sap to flow, temperatures must fall below freezing at night, and then rise above freezing during the day. Those daily temperature fluctuations are what create the pressure within the trees that moves the sap. The sap generally flows in March and April in northern Vermont, but that’s highly variable and weather-dependent.

While high-tech tools help sugar makers optimize almost all aspects of production, you still only have a 6-week period every spring where you make your product for the entire year. Sugaring is a 24-hour-a-day operation, and you have to work hard to be successful. Because at the end of the day, it’s Mother Nature who has the most control.

  • It takes roughly 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of maple syrup.

  • A typical sugaring season lasts 4 to 6 weeks. A pattern of freezing and thawing temperatures (below freezing at night and 40-45 degrees Fahrenheit during the day) will build up pressure within the trees, causing the sap to flow from the tap holes.

  • Sugaring season ends when the warmer days of late spring cause the leaf buds to unfold. 

  • Vermont produces roughly 50% of the United States crop.

  • A tree needs to be about 40 years old, or 10-12 inches in diameter, to be large enough to tap.

  • Some large maple trees in Vermont sugarbushes are over 200 years old!

Maple syrup is classified into four grades according to color and taste:

  • Golden Color with Delicate Taste

    Light, golden color with a mild, delicate taste. Excellent as a table syrup or over ice cream or yogurt.

  • Amber Color with Rich Taste

    A light amber color and full-bodied flavor, this class of syrup us the product of choice for consumers who desire the classic maple syrup flavor.

  • Dark Color with Robust Taste

    A dark amber color with a more pronounced maple flavor, this class will satisfy those consumers who desire the strong flavors of what used to be known as Grade B.

  • Very Dark Color with Strong Taste

    Nearly black, this syrup has a strong flavor that translates well to cooking, where the maple flavor will carry through to the finished dish.

- what makes our -

Maple Syrup
So Special?

M.C. Maple is certified organic from start to finish.

That means the land, the trees, the process, and the product all meet organic criteria.

Many people assume that all maple is inherently organic since it comes from the land – but this is not the case.

M.C. Maple undergoes a rigorous yearly certification process, which includes an annual on-site inspection. Every year, the operation must file and follow a healthy forest management plan to protect the health of the sugarbush ecosystem. (A “sugarbush,” by the way, is what Vermonters call a stand of sap-producing maple trees.) Organic inspectors look for things like species diversity, a good age distribution among the trees, and practices that protect the integrity of new growth – meaning that only trees over a certain size will be tapped. Practices like these ensure that the sugarbush will continue to produce syrup, and provide a healthy home for many forest species, for generations to come.

Organic inspectors also verify that all of the processing equipment is food-grade, and that it’s being cleaned on schedule with cleaning products that are themselves certified organic.

And for the final product, each individual container is traceable to a specific batch and a particular date, which ensures the highest standards of quality and consistency. M.C. Maple’s syrup gets rave reviews from families and chefs because of its great taste, which makes it easy to work with as an ingredient for cooking or baking.