Maple sap?

[silverfire]

Helo again everyone!

I'm starting a new thread, sorry, but thought it might be better than posting in my raw sweeteners thread.

Anyone tried maple sap?

This is the raw sap straight from the trees. Any Canadians around?

Check out this link, I'm a bit disturbed about the processed maple syrup now. It seems some may have lard in it!

http://www.rawtimes.com/food/maple.html

cheers!

[SamuelWilson]

If anyone knows a link to a place that will sell you Maple sap, please post it.

[Tanta]

I'm from Canada!! :yes: When I was a little kid, There was a man down the road from us who made Maple Syrup! I really liked the sap too! I used to get to go out around to the trees with him and get to taste the sap dripping out!
I never used it for anything though.....(I was young!) What do you use it for? Or how do you use it?


I don't think this is right if someone could tell me how to post it properly..

-Taken from http://www.vrg.org/journal//vj97mar/973sugar.htm

"Maple syrup
Maple syrup is another sweetener which may sometimes be a concern to vegans. The process of making maple syrup requires an agent to reduce the foam on the syrup by adding a small amount of fat to the liquid.

The traditional process of reducing the foam in maple syrup has included the use of lard. Previously, local producers would hang pork fat over a tub of maple syrup and let drops of fat drip into the syrup. Others used milk, cream or butter. If animal products are used in the form of lard or milk, the amount is minute. For example, eight to ten gallons of syrup will involve a quarter of a teaspoon of cream or a pea-sized drop of butter.

Vegetable oil is a common defoaming agent. It can be applied to the end of a wooden stick and dipped into the foaming part of the maple syrup. Most manufacturers of maple syrup now use vegetable oil or synthetic defoamers instead of lard.

One commercial defoamer (called Atmos300K) is composed of monoglycerides and diglycerides. According to WITCO, the producer of this defoamer, these glycerides are derived from "edible meat and/or vegetable sources." Another leading brand of defoamer, Reynolds Magic Syrup Defoamer, also contains acetylated monoglycerides as an ingredient (7).

Well known brands of pancake maple syrups, such as Mrs. Butterworths or Log Cabin, usually contain only 2-5% maple syrup. Corn syrup is the main ingredient of most pancake syrups. Pure maple syrup will have a grade label and state "100% Pure Maple Syrup." (8)

It may be difficult to determine whether a particular brand of syrup has an animal or vegetable based defoamer. Most syrups do not use lard, with the exception of certain small-scale products. Brands which are kosher certified, such as Spring Tree or Maple Groves, are unlikely to contain animal products in their defoamers. Holsum Foods, which produces pancake syrup, also uses vegetable oil as a defoaming agent, and their product is labeled by food chains such as Dominick's, Supervalue and Superfine. "

[butterfly_acid]

interesting...and as far as maple sap, good luck!!!! My grandma used to boil that stuff down for a day. Ok, now...take a big pig roast size stewing pot and boil water in it for an entire day and see what is left. That's the idea behind the syrup. It takes hours and hours, turns your house into an oven, makes the house smell wonderful, but you'll be carting home almost the size of those huge water dispenser water-jugs in order to make 1/2 the size of a typical in-the-store container of 2-5% maple syrup. (maybe 5-10 oz, although I could ask my grandma the exact specifics)....as the syrup got boiled down, it'd go into smaller pots to boil some more, making room for more sap in the larger pots yet again.

We don't have a huge surplus of maple trees though, unfortunately...so it's enough for the family for one yr of use.

[SamuelWilson]

Tanta, I would use it as a general purpose sweetener. For example, I would use it in my raw nut/seed milks.

If I was to find a supplier for maple sap, I could freeze portions of it so that I could have maple sap year round.

[mangos4all]

how to tp maple trees A) because i just heard. Sergei Boutenko rave about wild edibles and B) because my family has been staring at the gloriously yellow and red leaved maple in my back yard.

I'm really curious about what raw sap might be like. Only 3-4% sugar compared to the 66% in boiled down syrup. I bet that other 95% of the sap is really nutritious. Apparently it sours if you don't boil it. That's always a good sign. I never trust food that takes too long to go bad. Which brings me to my point:

Since raw sap is so perishable I doubt there are many commercial suppliers. If you live in northern North America you can always try tapping yours or our friends tree (Just found this guide http://www.umext.maine.edu/onlinepubs/PDFpubs/7036.pdf), which is what i intend to do asap!

Good luck. I wan tto hear more about sap's taste and nutrition