Maple Info
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Maple syrup can be stored in the freezer at -18 degrees Celsius for over a year. Unopened containers may be stored in a cool, dry place for several months but, once opened, the containers should be tightly closed and stored in the refrigerator freezer.
Nova Scotia’s Maple Industry
Currently, there are over 70 maple producers in Nova Scotia with the total number of taps over 300,000. This represents ten percent of the 36,000 acres of good producing maple sugar trees in the province. Annual production exceeds 140,000 litres of maple syrup. The bulk of this crop is sold as syrup. The remainder is used to produce products such as:
Maple Butter
Maple Cream
Maple Jelly
Maple Sugar
Buying Maple Syrup
Look for “Pure Maple Syrup” written on the label for genuine, 100 percent pure maple product. The grades and color class of the syrup will also be on the label as shown below:
Canada No. 1
(Extra Light, Light, Medium)
Canada No. 2
(Amber)
Canada No. 3
(Dark)
Many people prefer the dark syrup for baking because of the stronger maple flavour.
Sugar Party?
Have you ever been to a “sugaring off” party? why not plan one of your own this season. Your celebration of the maple season can be as simple as a sugar on the snow demonstration and a tasting party, or as elaborate as an evening of night dancing, food and entertainment for all ages.
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Filtering:
The process of clarifying pure maple syrup. Raw syrup contains various suspended particles (called “sugar sand”) brought out in the boiling process. In earlier days, these particles were “settled out” in bulk containers before retail packaging. Today, we filter through cloth and paper membranes, producing crystal clear syrup.
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Shelf Life:
Unopened containers of pure maple syrup may be left in a cool, dark place for 6 months without refridgeration. After opening, syrup should be refridgerated. Freezer storage keeps open or unopened containers indefinitely, and the liquid does not solidify. A mold on the surface of opened syrup may be skimmed off, and the product may be reused after heating to 190 degrees Farenheit. Place reheated syrup into a new, airtight container.
Sugaring Time:
(Season) Occurs in early spring when days are 35-45 degrees and nights are below freezing. When several of these days occur in succession, sap begins to flow. When nightime temperatures remain above freezing and days warm into the 50′s, the trees begin to bud and the season ends.
Tapping:
The first step in sugaring, when 7/16 inch diameter holes are drilled about 3 inches deep into the maple tree trunks. Many old trees have been tapped in this way for 75 or more years.
