The General Chat Thread (2016-2022)

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morning glory said:
I think that perhaps we (me and @creative) thought pure maple syrup was just the sap from the tree. Its not. Its processed in a sugar shack which is explained in the Canadian link I posted above. I think the word sugar just made it sound as if it was processed with sugar (which, in fact, is not the case). There are maple syrups which have added sugar too - but the word 'sugar shack' doesn't denote that at all. And I learned something today!

I hope we got to the bottom of this! :D
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Ok, now I understand the confusion.
You were reading sugar as cane sugar which is one type of sugar.
I read sugar in sugar shack as the place they boil down the sap to extract the natural sugars found in the sap.
So it is a different type of sugar but still a form of sugar.
And to confuse you even farther, you can also get sugar from certain beets.
 
Other tidbit about maple syrup, the pure stuff is labeled as 100% and also graded.
Everything else has to be called Maple flavored syrup.
 
Sorry I mentioned it...
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What a convoluted journey!

Anyway I know that 100% pure is what it says...bit of a no brainer! Yes the error was in thinking a sugar shack = adulterating it with white sugar....which is a process done to some maple syrup, i.e. it does occur! However, a sugar shack is - as we all now know - a building.
(I need a shot of maple syrup now i.e. in coffee!) :wink:

Thanks for clarifying the ensuing misunderstanding/confusion morning glory. :okay:
 
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buckytom said:
Is maple syrup produced in Australia, or is it imported? What about in England?

The only maple syrup that I've ever had was from either Vermont, upstate New York, or Canada.

It's pretty interesting to watch a sugar shack in action. All of the gallons upon gallons of sap boiled down to just a little syrup.

And they never have to iron their clothes.
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Why don't they?

And why are shacks wearing clothes anyway?
 
Lol, I meant they guys boiling down the syrup never get a wrinkle.
Yes, a sugar shack is the very steamy building where maple sap is boiled down to make maple syrup.

You can find them along some of the back roads of Vermont during the Spring and Fall when warm days and cold nights cause the sap to flow inside the trees. It's interesting to watch the process of collecting sap, then boiliing it down, and you can usually buy their product right from a table or little store next to the shacks.

Just for kicks, did you know that there is a little of the sap that gets boiled completely down into maple sugar. It makes delicious candies.

Btw, the entire process is called sugaring.
 
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creative said:
Sorry I mentioned it...
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What a convoluted journey!

Anyway I know that 100% pure is what it says...bit of a no brainer!

Thanks for clarifying the ensuing misunderstanding/confusion morning glory. :okay:
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I'm glad you did say something. Otherwise, none of us would have learned anything today.
You read a word and then guessed at what you thought it meant.
I read your post and assumed in Britain that "Sugar shack" was a name of a cheap imitation maple syrup.

Perhaps, we would all benefit from learning to use question marks instead of periods. I know I'm guilty of that one myself.
 
Other tidbit,
We may have a few Maple trees in Texas, but we can't get syrup from them except in very rare years. Our fall weather isn't cold enough for the sap to flow like it does in New England.
And in most of Texas, you don't get the pretty fall colors.
 
morning glory said:
I've never tried it. I have an immense silver birch in my garden - should I be tapping it?
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Too late now, I was going to say too early. But it seems you can milk them towards the end of spring as well as autumn.

And watch out for bugs/diseases on the tree, before milking
 
Folks usually tap a lot of trees to collect the sap. I'm not sure how much you can get from just 1. I think you need like 40 or 50 liters of maple sap to make just 1l of maple syrup.

Birch syrup isn't as sugary, so you need like twice as much.
 
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