Maple syrup composition. Maple syrup is a Canadian sugar substitute.

Sugaring is the art of making maple syrup and has been practiced for thousands of years. Many people claim that once you make maple syrup, you'll want to make it again and again. Read on to learn how to turn maple sap into a sweet and delicious syrup.

Steps

Tree tapping

Make sure the trees are ready for tapping. The maple season takes place in the spring, when temperatures at night are below 0°C and the days become warmer. This causes the sap to circulate in the tree.

• The maple season ends when the right one ends temperature regime. At this time, the color of the juice becomes darker. If the sap is collected after the season, it will have low sugar content and will not be tasty.

1. Select trees. There are many different varieties of maple. Different varieties have different sugar content: the higher the better. Sugar maple has the highest sugar content. Maple has a distinct five-pointed leaf. As a general rule, the tree must be at least 25cm in diameter before it can be harvested.

   Buy tubes for tapping. These are also known as output tubes. The Internet is the easiest place to buy pipes. Most of the tubes are the same, but the collection containers are slightly different. Decide what type of container you will use: a bag, an attached bucket, a bucket on the ground, or a network of tubes (commonly used by advanced syrup makers). If you don't want to buy a bucket, a clean pitcher works great. Do not purchase or install a tubing network unless you have done tapping before.

   Sap the tree. Drill a hole in the wood on the side that receives greatest number light, over a large root or under a large branch. The hole should be the same size as the tube. The hole should be 30–120 cm above the ground and 1.25 cm longer than the tube. The hole should be at a downward angle.

   • A hand-held electric drill is suitable for this task.
   • Alternatively, you can make a hole using a hammer and long nail; hammer it in, then take it out.

2. Attach a container to collect juice. Cover the containers to prevent them from getting in. rainwater and insects.

   Sap some more trees. From 40 l. Only 1 liter of juice is obtained. syrup, which is why store-bought maple syrup is so expensive. For a beginner, 7-10 trees is a good number for tapping; you will get about 40 liters. sap from each tree per season, so in the end you will have 7-10 liters. syrup.

   Collect the juice. Over the course of several weeks, check the sap containers every few days. To store, pour the juice into covered buckets or other large containers. Continue collecting sap until the season ends. Now you can make syrup from the juice.

   Boiling juice

   1. Strain the juice. If you don't have much juice, the easiest way to do this is to use a coffee filter. This is only to remove sediment, insects or twigs from the sap. You can also use a slotted spoon to remove and discard large pieces of debris. Again the juice will be filtered later after it boils.

   2. Light the fire until the juice boils. The syrup is made by evaporating the water from the juice so that only the sugar remains. The juice contains only about 2% sugar. You can use an evaporator, which is a machine made specifically to turn the sap into syrup, or a less expensive alternative is a good fire (you can also simmer the sap in a pan on the stove, but it will evaporate so much moisture that the whole house will fill with steam). To start a fire to boil sap, follow these steps:

      • Take one or more 20 liter pots.
      • Dig a shallow hole in the ground where you want to start a fire.
      • Build a box of cinder blocks around the hole. It should be large enough to accommodate all your pots. Place a grate on the box to hold the pots, leaving enough space under the grate to build a fire.
      • Light a fire under the grate so that it heats the pots.

   3. Pour the juice into the pots. Fill them 3/4 full with juice. The fire should heat the pots well and bring the juice to a boil. As the water evaporates, slowly add the sap to the pots. Continue lighting the fire and adding sap to the pots until the pots are half filled with remaining sap.

      • The process of turning the sap into syrup takes many hours and you can't take breaks or you'll end up burning the maple syrup. The heat needs to be high enough to keep the juice simmering continuously, and you should keep adding juice as the liquid evaporates - even if it means staying up all night.
      • You can hang a coffee can with a handle over a pot of juice. Cut a hole in the bottom so that the juice flows out gradually. This way you don't have to monitor the process all the time.

   4. Check the temperature. When you've finished adding the juice and the remaining liquid begins to drop, use a candy thermometer to check the temperature. It will stop at 100°C or so during the boiling process, but once most of the water has evaporated, the temperature will begin to rise. Remove liquid from heat when it reaches 105°C.

      • If you remove the syrup from the heat too late, it will thicken or burn, so make sure you keep a close eye on it.
      • You can finish boiling the syrup inside if you want to have more control over the heat and temperature.

In Western films, you can often see characters having pancakes for breakfast, happily dipping them into maple syrup. For us, this product is unusual and even mysterious.

Still would! The fact is that the maple species from which this product is made grow mainly in North America - in the USA and Canada. You can, of course, grow such a maple in Russia - but in order to be able to extract syrup, the tree must grow for many years. And for production on an industrial scale, entire maple forests are needed!

Meanwhile, maple syrup is a healthy and tasty alternative to sugar or honey. Unlike the first one, it contains many useful substances. And unlike the second one, it does not cause allergies.

What he really is

So, first of all, let's figure out what maple syrup is and what it is made from.

It's a sweetener entirely. natural origin. Externally, the syrup looks like thick caramel or uncandied honey. Color can vary from dark yellow to brown.

The taste of the syrup is sweet, with a slight woody aftertaste and a hint of caramel.

How is maple syrup prepared and what is it made from?

Only certain types of maple are used for production - sugar, red and black.

The extraction technology is very similar to the well-known extraction of birch sap. In the spring, an incision is made in the trunk of an adult tree, into which a tube is inserted, connected to a collection container. The result is a liquid juice that looks like water. This juice is subsequently evaporated to obtain syrup. The time of collection (early or late spring) determines how thick, dark and sweet the syrup will be. On average, 40 liters of fresh juice yields approximately one liter of syrup.

By the way, collecting sap does not harm the tree. For this, maples that are at least 40-50 years old are used, and one tree can be a source of raw materials for many years.

Why and who needs it

Please note: a product can be called dietary, but not because it promotes weight loss. Like honey, it has a fairly high glycemic index and contains fast carbohydrates. For comparison: the glycemic index of refined sugar is 70 units, cane sugar is 55, honey is from 30 to 85 (depending on the variety), maple syrup is about 54.

The caloric content of syrup is 260 kilocalories per 100 grams of product.

Accordingly, trying to use maple syrup for weight loss is a rather pointless undertaking. As well as honey, fructose, etc. It’s just that, unlike sugar, it is healthy and safe. For example, it can be used as a sugar substitute by patients diabetes mellitus type 2, children with diathesis, people with increased level blood sugar. If you are obese, you can eat it in small quantities - it is still better than using sugar.

Unlike honey, maple syrup rarely causes allergic reactions, making it an ideal natural sweetener for allergy sufferers. And also, unlike honey, during heat treatment the syrup does not acquire carcinogenic properties. Therefore, adding it to baked goods is much safer.

After all, natural maple syrup is simply delicious. Lovers of honey, liquid caramel and similar products will definitely appreciate it. And, of course, everyone who watches their diet and tries to eat right.

Maple syrup: composition, benefits and applications

Maple syrup has numerous beneficial properties. It contains B vitamins, antioxidants and minerals - magnesium, iron, calcium, potassium, zinc, phosphorus, sodium. However, the list of benefits of maple syrup is not limited to this. The polyphenols it contains help prevent cardiovascular diseases. Phytohormones help normalize the functioning of the pancreas. It also has antibacterial and antitumor effects. Useful for metabolic disorders, as well as for people working in hazardous industries or living in unfavorable environmental conditions. That is, essentially. To all residents of modern megacities.

At the same time, nutritionists do not recommend abusing sweets, including maple syrup, simply because of glucose and simple carbohydrates. The normal dose for an adult is about 50 grams per day.

You can use maple syrup instead of sugar - adding it to tea, coffee, and when making cakes and creams. You can also use it in its pure form - like honey. For example, to dip pancakes and pancakes in it.

What is the difference between grades A and B?

As already mentioned, the smell, consistency and taste of the syrup depend not only on the duration of processing, but also on the time of collecting the juice. Harvested in late spring, it is darker and sweeter than in early spring. Syrup varieties are classified according to this parameter. The most common class c is A dark amber. Class C is used only in Food Industry.

What is dry syrup

The so-called is a powder that is obtained from ordinary syrup by evaporating the liquid. It can be used instead of regular sugar for baking, adding to tea and coffee, etc. You can also make ordinary maple syrup from it if you dilute it with water.

You can take dry syrup to reduce the shipping weight of the parcel. But, to be honest, the savings are not particularly significant. I see the point in dry syrup only if you use it for cooking - for example, you can’t pour liquid syrup into dough without violating the proportions. But dry powder works great instead of sugar in the same quantities and does not interfere with the recipe at all.

Where can you buy maple syrup and how much does it cost?

The product that can be found in Russian stores, most often, unfortunately, has very little to do with real maple syrup. It's just sugar syrup burned for color, sometimes with flavorings. Such products, unfortunately, only discredit maple syrup - customer reviews that compare it with burnt sugar are most often associated with the low quality of the product they purchased. To be sure of authenticity, you need to choose American or Canadian maple syrup.

The easiest way is on iherb, where options from manufacturers only from North America are presented. In terms of price, it starts from $11 for 350 milliliters.

By the way, if you want to taste maple syrup, but the price seems too high, you can order a budget option– with maple flavor. Agave is no less useful, but costs less.

Maple syrup. Many people love sweets and eat them with pleasure. chocolate candies and cakes. Everyone knows that sweets are harmful to the body.

In addition, in the modern confectionery industry, far from the most useful substances are used - palm oil, synthetic fats, stabilizers, etc.

It would seem that sweets should be completely removed from the menu. But nature gave us syrups.

Maple syrup is made from the sap of the broadleaf maple tree.. The main producer is Canada. Even despite strict control over the product manufacturing process, there are still fakes on the market.

In this article we will talk about maple syrup, consider its beneficial properties and side effects.

1. Abscisic acid contained in maple syrup stimulates the pancreas. One of its main functions is the secretion of the hormone insulin, which is involved in the breakdown of glucose. Diabetic conditions are associated with the lack of insulin production.

2. A unique element was discovered in maple syrup, named Quebecol in honor of the homeland of maple. It has a sweet taste, but is not a carbohydrate.

By chemical composition the component is close to substances of the phenolic group and, therefore, approved for use by patients with diabetes. In the near future, quebecol may provide a sweetener for people dependent on external insulin.

3. The product is very rich in potassium. Its content in 100 g of syrup is up to 210 mcg. The function of this mineral is to provide nutrition and maintain the tone of smooth muscles, which include the heart muscle.

5. For girls during puberty and women during pregnancy, zinc will ensure protein absorption and growth.

6. Zinc plays important role in the growth of lymphocytes - cells that form an immune response to a viral or bacterial attack.

7. Manganese, the content of which is 3.5 mcg in 100 g of maple syrup, along with calcium and zinc, is important for maintaining the correct balance of substances in bone tissue.

8. Manganese is involved in the formation and transmission of nerve impulses.

9. Maple syrup contains antioxidants, similar to those found in red wine and tomatoes. However, unlike tomatoes and wine, antioxidants do not affect gallbladder and liver.

10. Maple syrup due to its low content of substances, causing allergies, can be used by people prone to this kind of body reaction.

11. Natural maple syrup contains no dyes or preservatives.

The harm of maple syrup

1. Speaking about the dangers of maple syrup, it is worth understanding how it is consumed. As therapeutic diet any syrup, including maple syrup, has daily dosage recommendations. One spoon a day will not do any harm.

But if you regularly use syrup as a topping for pancakes and other baked goods, then you need to understand that more harm comes from flour products, and not from syrup.

2. Diabetics should take the syrup with caution. Despite its low effect, maple syrup is not indicated for all types and degrees of diabetes.

3. It is undesirable to use maple syrup during pregnancy in case of high uterine tone. Potassium contained in the syrup maintains smooth muscle tone, and the potassium antagonist in this case will be magnesium, which is prescribed to reduce tone.

Homemade maple syrup

Maple syrup is quite an expensive product. His average price$70-80 per liter, but you can try making the syrup yourself.

It will differ from the original Canadian one in its reduced content of glucose and other substances and, possibly, in taste.

1. Maple sap can be collected during intense spring movement, when nutrients reach the tree's buds. This usually happens when during the day the air warms up to +15...+20, and at night there are still frosts.

2. Select a maple tree with a five-pointed leaf and a wide trunk, drill a hole in it at an angle so that the sap flows down. Insert the tube and remove it into an enamel or glass container.

3. On average, a liter of syrup will require up to 50 liters of fresh juice. From one tree you can get 4-6 liters in a few hours.

4. The juice should be boiled in an enamel bowl until it becomes syrup, evaporating the water. The process, depending on the sugar content in the juice, can take up to 18-25 hours.

5. When a syrupy state is reached, remove the dish from the stove and let it cool, then pour into several jars, close with lids and put in the refrigerator.

If you have ever collected Birch juice, then you can handle maple without any problems. Buy juice or collect it yourself - the choice is yours.

Maple syrup is thickened sap obtained by evaporating the sap of deciduous trees from the Sapindaceae family: sugar maple, red maple and black maple. These types of maples grow in North America and reach a height of thirty meters and a diameter of one meter.

Maple syrup is a translucent or transparent thick, aromatic, viscous liquid, which in consistency can be compared to amber honey. At various stages of evaporation of the syrup, sugar, butter and maple honey are obtained from it.

Story

The extraction of maple sap is most developed in Canada, where sugar maple grows in forests everywhere. It even became a national symbol: image maple leaf can be seen on the national flag of the country. The main producer of syrup is Quebec.

The current residents of Quebec inherited the tradition of collecting maple sap from the Indians, who many years ago noticed the wonderful benefits of maple syrup and over several generations developed recipes for its production.

There are many traditions associated with the collection of maple sap. For example, with the beginning of the harvest season, residents of local villages organize a farewell to winter. This holiday is called “Boar-a-sucr”, and translated from French means “Sugar Hut”. In the immediate vicinity of maple sap collection sites, residents are setting up temporary houses and tables for guests, and installing equipment for cooking various sweets using juice. This holiday is highly revered by local residents. Children love to eat treats with maple syrup: pancakes with peasant butter and syrup, forest snow poured with a sweet tasty liquid, maple caramels prepared right there, right in front of people. And adults prefer more meat dishes, which are also prepared on site - clove ham baked in maple syrup, beans with ham and brisket in a sweet maple sauce and, of course, country beer made with maple sap.

It is also interesting that, despite the development of technologies that make it possible to automate almost all processes in the food industry, the collection of sap and the preparation of maple syrup is still carried out exclusively by hand. This gives it a special and unique taste, and dishes prepared with its addition - a unique charm.

In many ways, the process of extracting maple sap is similar to obtaining birch sap. A special diagonal cut is made on the maple, into which a stainless steel trench is inserted. The collected juice is taken to special “distillation” stations installed right in the forest. Here it is boiled open fire, evaporating, resulting in the purest maple syrup. To get one liter of syrup, you need to evaporate about forty liters of maple sap! Of course, this significantly increases the cost of the final product. But what joy it gives local residents to watch the cooking process!

But the processing and storage of this valuable product is trusted by the most modern technologies. All enterprises involved in the extraction of maple sap and syrup must meet the most stringent quality standards and regularly undergo government inspections.

Today, one of the most famous companies involved in the collection and processing of maple sap is the Quebec cooperative Citadel, which unites about three thousand independent sap collectors. The company was founded in 1925, and most of its members are hereditary juice collectors who inherited this activity from their great-grandfathers and fathers. Thanks to this, the company supplies the market with products from the most High Quality, which is a recognized leader.

Uses of maple syrup

Maple syrup and products made from it (butter, sugar, jam) have become widespread in many countries around the world. Chefs of expensive and prestigious restaurants in Canada, the USA, Japan, France and other countries prepare the most gourmet dishes, of which this product is an integral component. These dishes are very popular, and many of them can be prepared at home. The syrup is served with pancakes, waffles, pancakes, and ice cream. It is used as an ingredient in meat dishes, baked goods, desserts, and sauces. The use of maple syrup has become widespread in the baking and confectionery industry as a natural alternative to sugar.

Composition of maple syrup

Maple syrup is a completely natural product; no chemical components are used in its production; it does not contain fillers or preservatives.

Maple syrup contains many minerals (calcium, iron, potassium, phosphorus, sodium, zinc), B vitamins, including thiamine. It contains many antioxidants, and above all, polyphenols, which help a person prevent cardiovascular diseases and promote rejuvenation of the body. There is less sugar in syrup than in honey, and there is practically no fructose present, so it is useful for people watching their body weight. Even diabetics can use the syrup. And the phytohormones that make up maple syrup (abscisic acid) are very useful for the normal functioning of the pancreas.

The calorie content of maple syrup is 261 kcal per 100 g of product.

Benefits of maple syrup

Scientists who have studied the benefits of maple syrup have been able to prove that sweets can also be beneficial. For example, recently researchers from the University of Rhode Island discovered 13 compounds beneficial for humans in it, in addition to the seven already found.

Scientists believe that the benefits of maple syrup include preventing the development of diabetes, brain and breast cancer. And maple sap contains natural glucose, which is easily absorbed by the body, like fast carbohydrate. However, it is precisely because of its glucose content that maple syrup is not recommended for consumption in excessively high quantities.

The use of maple syrup has a healing effect on the body, as it is a natural immunostimulant, so it is useful to use it for atherosclerosis, to reduce the risk of diabetes, and to increase potency.

This tasty and sweet delicacy is included in products recommended for healthy eating, and is an excellent alternative to sugar, jam and jams.

Maple syrup represents useful product(see photo) obtained from natural sap of red, black or sugar maple. Currently, they are actively replacing sugar, since this syrup tastes very sweet. It also has an amber color and a thick transparent consistency. This is why processed maple sap is very similar to bee honey. Despite the fact that the birthplace of maple syrup is North America, he is appreciated all over the world.

Receive this type syrup by evaporating natural maple sap, which is usually extracted in early spring. At this time of year, sap collectors make holes in maple trees. Tubes are inserted into them, through which maple liquid gradually passes into a pre-prepared container. The extracted juice is then sent for processing, during which it is evaporated until the syrup becomes thick. Maple sap is eighty percent water and usually takes at least two hours to evaporate. Forty liters of maple sap can yield only one liter of amber syrup. However, given that maple trees are not damaged when collecting maple liquid, it is possible to extract raw materials for making syrup from one trunk annually.

How to choose and store maple syrup correctly?

Not many people know how to properly select and store maple syrup. We suggest you figure out right now how to distinguish real maple syrup from imitation.

The first thing you should always pay attention to is the consistency of the maple syrup. The liquid must only be transparent or translucent. If the liquid is cloudy, the product is not worth buying. In addition, you must always look at the label of the container that contains the syrup. It must indicate the country supplying the product, as well as the name of the manufacturing company. There should also be a golden maple leaf on the container with the syrup. This is a Canadian seal that certifies the authenticity of maple syrup.

In addition, real syrup obtained from natural maple sap will never be cheap. As mentioned earlier, from forty liters of maple sap only one liter of syrup can be obtained. This explains the high cost of this product. It is also worth paying attention to the fact that the taste of real maple syrup must have a light woody note. If the product is simply sweet, then it is probably a fake, made from artificial maple essence and corn syrup.

You can store maple syrup either in the refrigerator or at room temperature. In the latter case, the product must be kept exclusively in a hermetically sealed container. After unpacking, it is recommended to pour the maple syrup into a glass or plastic container and place it in a cool room for storage. If all conditions are met, the shelf life of this product can reach three years.

How to cook with your own hands at home?

To make your own maple syrup at home, you will need to be patient in advance. The process of preparing this product is quite long, and that is why, first of all, it requires patience. The first step is to extract natural maple sap. To do this, you need to wait until spring arrives to look for a large and healthy maple. It is not recommended to extract sap from sick trees, as well as from those trees on which buds have begun to bloom. After the maple trunk is selected, small cuts are made in it, the depth of which should not be more than eight centimeters. Special iron spouts are inserted into the drilled places, and tubes are inserted into them. From one hole in a maple tree you can collect up to three liters of sap in one day.

Collected raw materials must be sent immediately for processing. First, the juice must be filtered, since it may contain remnants of bark or other debris. Then the product is poured into a wide container with non-stick coating and put on fire to evaporate. This usually takes several hours. Note! If you evaporate homemade syrup for a long time, it will turn out too thick and in the future it will simply become sugary. If the product is made too rare, it will have a short shelf life. In addition, it is recommended to boil the juice outside, since during the boiling process sweet steam evaporates, which subsequently settles on objects in the room and makes them sticky. The finished syrup cools slightly, is distributed into jars and sealed tightly.

Application

The use of maple syrup is widespread in America and Canada. In these parts of the world, processed maple sap is very often used for culinary and cosmetic purposes. There are many ways to use this product, and you will learn about them right now!

In cooking

Maple syrup is used very widely in cooking. Its sweet taste and pleasant smell are in perfect harmony with baked goods, fruits, meat and even fish. That is why there are many different dishes that include this versatile product. If you don't know how to use maple syrup for culinary purposes, be sure to take a look at the table below. It offers very tasty and at the same time incredible simple recipes using this product.

In addition, various puff pastries, buns, cocktails and even cakes are prepared with maple syrup. All desserts that contain this product have a unique taste and aroma.

Processed maple sap is often used as a sweet sauce. It is poured over pancakes, pancakes and various pastries. Due to the fact that the calorie content of this product is low, many people also use it as a substitute for sugar. It is added to tea, coffee and other hot drinks.

In cosmetology

In cosmetology, maple syrup is literally works wonders. This product has restorative properties and can make your skin perfect and your hair luxurious. Today it is absolutely not necessary to buy professional masks and balms to give your body beauty. You can easily make do with homemade cosmetics, which are very easy to create with your own hands using only natural ingredients. In the table below you can find recipes for the best cosmetics, in which maple syrup is a mandatory component.

The benefit of maple syrup also lies in the fact that it can be used as a means of losing weight. In this case, you need to adhere to a special diet, which was invented in the 20th century by the American folk healer Stanley Burroughs. So, in order to get rid of extra pounds, you need to prepare a special cocktail, which should include half a glass of purified water, a pinch of crushed red pepper and two tablespoons of real maple syrup and natural lemon juice. These components just need to be mixed, and the finished cocktail must be consumed every morning for five days.

Please note: when following this maple diet, you must exclude meat from your daily diet!

What to replace it with? “What can I substitute for maple syrup?” - this question often worries those people for whom this product for some reason is not suitable, but really want to cook something original and tasty.

So, if you prepare dishes that do not require high heat treatment, you can replace maple syrup with regular honey or agave syrup.

As for baking, carob syrup and any jam can replace maple syrup. With these substitutes, pies and buns come out no less tasty and healthy. If you prepare a marinade for meat, you can use Narsharab pomegranate sauce as a replacement.

It will enrich meat dishes with an unusually pleasant sourness and a very appetizing burgundy tint.

Beneficial properties, harm and contraindications ABOUT I can talk about maple syrup for a very long time. This product includes many different antioxidants and vital chemical elements(potassium, zinc, phosphorus, calcium, etc.). Natural maple syrup is also rich in B vitamins, which are responsible for correct work human body.

It has been scientifically proven that boiled maple juice can be consumed in the following cases:

• for the treatment of heart and vascular diseases;
• to strengthen the immune system;
• to increase potency;
• for the treatment of atherosclerosis.

The great thing is that processed maple sap contains virtually no compounds such as oxalates and purines.

This indicates that this product cannot cause allergies.

Maple syrup can harm the body only if consumed in unlimited quantities. This is due to the fact that this product contains quite a lot of glucose. If you have diabetes, it is recommended to drink maple syrup with caution.

The only contraindication to this healthy sweet sauce is individual intolerance to it.