Imagine a time long before grocery stores existed – deep in the forests of North America, where towering maple trees hold a delicious secret.
It’s early spring, and the first signs of life are just beginning to emerge after a long, harsh winter. The indigenous peoples of the region have known for generations that this is the moment when the maple trees come alive with sweet potential.
With the warming days and freezing nights upon them, they would carefully insert carved wooden spiles into maple tree trunks to collect the precious sap that would soon become one of nature's finest delicacies: maple sugar.
Gathering the sap in large birch-bark containers, they would boil it down over an open fire. As the water evaporated, the sap transformed into a thick, amber syrup, and when boiled further, it would crystallize into maple sugar.
This prized sugar was not just a sweetener – it was a vital food source that was easily transported and stored for year-round use. The local people used maple sugar to sweeten foods and medicines, and they used it to cure meats and as an anesthetic.
Early European settlers, who learned the art of sugaring from the indigenous communities, quickly adopted the tradition, and maple sugar became a staple for both food and medicinal purposes.
Today, most of the world’s maple sugar is collected in a region known as the “Maple Belt” – a hardwood deciduous forest that stretches from the Midwest through the Northeast United States and from the southeast corner of Manitoba to Nova Scotia in Canada.
The best maple sugar comes from the Sugar Maple tree – the Acer saccharum – and trees that are about 10 to 20 inches in diameter, or about 40 years old.
How Maple Sugar Is Made Today
Maple sugar, a true gift from nature, is made today in much the same way it was centuries ago – honoring the natural rhythms of the trees while utilizing modern tools to optimize the process.
During the summer, the trees store sugar and nutrients in their roots. In the spring, when the weather begins to warm, the sap begins to return to the top of the trees to help grow the leaves.
The first step of the process today remains the same – tapping the trees. The sap runs the best when days grow warm and it’s still cold at night.
While a few operations continue to use traditional buckets to collect the sap, others use more advanced tubing systems to transport the sap directly to a central collection point.
The sap that comes from maple trees is mostly water, with only about 1-3% sugar content. But this is where the magic happens…
Through the careful process of boiling the sap down, what’s left is pure, concentrated sweetness. Maple sugar is the result of all of the water boiled out of the maple syrup.
Modern producers boil the sap in large evaporators, where it transforms into the thick, amber syrup we know as maple syrup. For maple sugar, the process continues beyond the syrup stage. By boiling it even further, the water content evaporates, and the syrup begins to crystallize.
This stage requires precision, as the goal is to create fine sugar granules. Once the boiling is complete, the maple sugar is stirred to encourage crystallization, then cooled and packed for use.
On average, it takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of maple syrup. And it takes seven gallons of maple syrup to make one pound of sugar.
What’s more, only 5% of maple syrup qualifies to be made into sugar. This makes maple sugar a supreme delicacy…
Maple Sugar vs. Granulated White Sugar: What’s the Difference?
Unlike refined white sugar, maple sugar retains the essence of the maple tree – and the nutrients that make it not only a natural sweetener but also a nourishing one.
The minerals and antioxidants that the tree needs for survival during its growth are concentrated in maple sugar.
Maple sugar contains trace amounts of essential minerals like calcium, magnesium, potassium, and manganese – elements that support everything from bone health to cellular energy production in humans.
Additionally, maple sugar contains powerful antioxidants, which support healthy cells and tissues.
One antioxidant in particular, found only in pure maple products, is quebecol. While this potent polyphenol doesn’t exist in the sap, it is formed during syrup production.
In today's world, where processed sugars and artificial sweeteners are the norm – and present in so many processed foods – maple sugar stands out as a natural, healthful alternative.
It’s minimally processed, comes straight from the tree, and provides a depth of flavor that no refined sugar can match.
Unlike refined white sugar, which has been stripped of any nutritional value, maple sugar is a true whole food sweetener.
What does maple sugar taste like?
You not only taste sweetness, but there’s a depth to its sweetness – a caramel-like richness that speaks of the forests it comes from.
And maple sugar may even be the preferred choice for those individuals seeking a more diet-friendly sweetener, as it has a lower glycemic index than white and brown sugar. This means your blood sugar won’t rise as quickly as when you use refined sugar.
When you choose maple sugar, you’re selecting a sweetener that not only tastes great but also supports your body’s natural balance. This ancient, time-honored process is still as vital and nourishing today as it was for our ancestors.
Excelling in Everything Maple: Meet Our U.S. Maple Valley Farmers
Our Solspring® Organic Maple Sugar is crafted for us by the Maple Valley cooperative – a group of more than 30 organic maple farmer members in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Vermont.
Maple Valley cooperative was co-founded almost 30 years ago by Cecil Wright and two close friends. Growing up in northeast Ohio, Cecil experienced first-hand the production of maple syrup and sugar.
Cecil, a life-long maple farmer to this day, runs this thriving cooperative that’s owned by farmers, employees and customers who share a common vision for a healthy world where nature is protected, communities are strong, and people cooperate for the good of all.
Just as it takes quality coffee producers and roasters to create excellent coffee, it takes dedicated organic maple farmers to craft nutrient-rich maple syrup and maple sugar with an ideal color and exquisite taste profile.
The farms that belong to the cooperative are family farms, most of which are multi-generational and many that span for several generations where they’ve passed along the craft of maple sugaring from one generation to the next.
Becoming part of the cooperative doesn’t happen automatically… Cecil carefully considers each farmer’s practices before he welcomes them into the cooperative.
Maple farmers must meet the following qualifications in order to join the cooperative:
- They must practice sustainable stewardship and farming methods.
- The farmers must ensure that their maple woodland understory stays intact to provide habitat for abundant and diverse wildlife and to prevent soil erosion.
- The farmers cannot over-tap their trees – rather, taps must be shallow and small in size so the trees can easily heal and continue to thrive, producing for up to 200 years.
In return for their dedication to quality and stewardship, the co-op offers the farmers a sustainable living wage.
Maple Valley is committed to overall business sustainability. The energy used at the main office and bottling facility in southwest Wisconsin is offset through a partnership with the community wind project.
Finally, to support small, independent business owners, the cooperative sources supplies and services locally whenever possible.
The Organic Difference With Maple Syrup and Sugar
You might have noticed when shopping for maple syrup and maple sugar that some products are
organic and some aren’t.
If all maple syrup (and maple sugar) comes from maple trees, then wouldn’t they all be organic? What exactly makes maple products organic?
It’s all in how the trees are cared for and in the production of the end product.
In order for maple syrup and maple sugar to be Certified Organic, farmers must meet certain high standards, which include:
- Synthetic chemicals are prohibited – fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and paints – anywhere near the maple trees for a minimum of three years before organic production can begin.
- Buffer zones are required between the sugarbush (the forest and the land surrounding it) and land of a neighbor that uses chemicals.
- Ecosystem diversity standards require at least 20% of the trees in a sugarbush to be a species other than sugar maple.
- Written forest management plans must be maintained by the farmer, describing plans for diversity management, regeneration and biomass recycling.
While these requirements define organic, they don’t ensure that the product is vegan. Some maple syrups and maple sugars – even organic – are not necessarily vegan.
That’s because some producers use animal fats as defoaming agents in the boiling process. And many use synthetic chemical defoamers made from petroleum – so while they may technically be vegan, they’re far from earth friendly.
But it’s even more complicated than that – synthetic defoamers don’t disclose the ingredients, so it’s not entirely certain they are free of animal products.
This is a problem you’ll never run into with our Solspring® Organic Maple Sugar and Solspring® In-Conversion Biodynamic® Organic Maple Syrup.
Farmers who meet the Certified Organic standards for our maple products – including our Organic Maple Sugar – use only organic vegetable oils for defoaming. This ensures that the final product is both vegan and allergen free.
7 Delicious Ways to Use Our Organic Maple Sugar
If you love the taste of maple syrup, you’re going to love our Solspring® Organic Maple Sugar even more, as it is so versatile to use. Maple sugar pours just like granulated sugar, so you can substitute it into just about any recipe that calls for a sweetener.
Maple sugar has become very popular with bakers, chefs and restaurants because of its satisfying flavor. You can use it…
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Sprinkled on top of oatmeal or other hot or cold cereal, yogurt or buttered toast for a rich, maple taste.
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Added to coffee or tea or other beverage for an elevated flavor experience.
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For baking acorn or other winter squash, roasting carrots or caramelizing onions.
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In bread and dessert recipes, such as maple shortbread and biscotti, maple bacon scones, maple sugar poundcake, maple apple pie or cornbread, instead of brown or white granulated sugar (simply substitute “one to one”).
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Tossed with hot buttered popcorn for the ultimate at-home movie snack.
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Blended with butter for a delectable topping for bran muffins, waffles, French toast or cinnamon rolls.
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In savory dishes, such as chili, homemade BBQ sauce, or as a rub for grilled salmon or smoked meats, or sprinkled on bacon while frying or browning ham slices.
These ideas are just a start for using our Organic Maple Sugar… Its uses are endless. Whenever you want a deeper flavor and touch of richness unmatched by brown or white sugar, simply substitute in our premium Maple Sugar.
Just be forewarned… Our Maple Sugar is so tasty, you may be tempted to eat it straight from the bag!
Sweeten Your Day With Solspring® Organic Maple Sugar – Order Yours Today
Who doesn’t love the taste of maple syrup? Our Solspring® Organic Maple Sugar allows you to enjoy maple goodness in everything from your morning cup of joe to your favorite recipe for guests.
When you choose maple sugar, you’re selecting a sweetener that not only tastes great but also supports your body’s natural balance. This ancient, time-honored process is still as vital and nourishing today as it was for our ancestors.
Unlike bland refined white sugar, which has been stripped of any nutritional value, maple sugar is a true whole food sweetener with a caramel-like richness that speaks of the forests it comes from. Indulge your senses with this premium gift of nature, and order Organic Maple Sugar today.