Mmmhhhmmm...maple syrup! Just had some last night on blueberry/chopped walnut pancakes I made. Super good. It is interesting to hear that about Acer negundo -Box Elder-sap working well. We could tap the hell out of those crudballs! Maybe we'd get a little of that red color in the syrup sap, like the heartwood on box elder. You guys must have seen that, right? In any case, all tree sap has as one of its key aspects, the carrying of sugar from place to place within the plant, so it should be no surprise that species other than Acer saccharum should work for this, albeit pehaps some not as well. +oM ps...........A friend from long-ago days, grew up poor on a ramshackle farm. His dad wanted to do a little of everything, but the methodology wasn't always the tightest. They'd tap trees out in the sugarbush, bring the sap into the saphouse, and boil it down, just like you're supposed to. So what was wrong you ask? Old tires were burned as the fuel to boil the sap down!

Lars, you are so welcome. I just wanted to share what is one of my favorite flavors with you and Kevin. The syrup came from Cook's Sugarbush, the label is on the lid. A "sugarbush" is a stand of maple trees that the farmers tap for sap. It takes about 10 gallons of sap to boil down into one gallon of syrup. Because sugaring season is usually the end of February/first of March, that is last year's syrup and so I got kind of a "deal". The sap won't run until it gets warmer during the day but stays cold at night, then the farmers "tap" the trees by inserting little tubes into the maple trees and letting the sap drip out into buckets or lines. The sap goes into large pots and gets boiled until it's syrup. The first and lightest syrup is the Grade A stuff, the Grade B is usually only used for cooking. Truthfully, I like the Grade B much better, it's thicker, darker, more maple-y. I hope you and Kevin enjoy it. I use it in bread and in sweets but I like it best just on pancakes, waffles or hot biscuits, so Kevin is ready to enjoy it just the way I would. Elery likes to use it with some teriyaki kind of sauce to glaze salmon on the grill and that's nice too. Hugs to you both from Michigan! Annie

Nancy, here's a good bread recipe that uses a lot more than a couple of tablespoons of maple syrup. I love it, and the coffee does not add a discernable coffee flavor but it does add a nice "secret ingredient" flavor. MAPLE OATMEAL BREAD 3 3 ¼ cups flour 1 pkg dry yeast ¾ cup prepared coffee 1/2 cup quick cooking rolled oats ½ (scant) cup maple syrup 2 tbls butter 1 tsp salt 1 egg Combine a cup of flour and the yeast. Heat coffee, oats, syrup, butter and salt until just warm and butter is almost melted. Add to flour mixture along with egg. Beat with electric mixer on low for 30 seconds. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface, knead in enough remaining flour to make a moderately soft dough that is smooth and elastic (3-5 minutes kneading). Shape dough into a ball, place in lightly greased bowl, and turn over once to grease surface of dough. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in size, about an hour. Punch down dough, cover and let rest 10 minutes. Meanwhile lightly grease a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Shape dough into a loaf and place into prepared pan, cover and let rise in a warm place until nearly double in size (30 to 45 minutes). Bake at 350 F about 30 minutes or until bread sounds hollow when lightly tapped. Remove from pan immediately and cool on wire rack. Makes 1 loaf (14 slices) Each slice contains 149 calories, 3 grams total fat, 2 grams sat. fat, 1 gr fiber, 26 gr. Carbs, 196 mg sodium, 4 gr protein. (Contains 8% of daily requirement of iron) And here's a really nice maple scone... Maple Cream Scone 2 cups all-purpose or unbleached flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 3/4 teaspoon salt 4 tablespoons cold butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces, plus 2 tablespoons butter, melted 3/4 cup heavy cream 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup 1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Lightly grease a baking sheet (I used silpat on the baking sheet). 2. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Cut the butter pieces into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the mixture. 3. Blend the cream and 1/4 cup of the maple syrup and pour the mixture into the well. Stir, just until the dough coheres. 4. Lightly flour a work surface; turn the dough onto the surface and knead four or five times, gently. Pat or roll to a thickness of about 3/4 inch. Cut into 2-1/2-inch to 3-inch rounds with a biscuit cutter and place on the prepared baking sheet. 5. Stir together the melted butter and remaining 2 tablespoons maple syrup, then brush a little on each scone. Keep the remaining syrup mixture warm. Bake the scones for about 15 minutes, until golden. Serve hot. Spoon the remaining warm syrup mixture over the scones. Yield: About 12 scones. Source: Maple Syrup Cookbook, copyright 1989, 2001 Mmmmm, love maple syrup. Like other kids, Ashley'd rather have Mrs. Butterworth. Have I mentioned that she's a heathen when it comes to food, LOL? Annie

I'm looking to buy an outdoor burner that can be hooked up to a 20LB propane tank for canning and maple syrup. We used out grill which too 15~ for 5 gallons which is just too long- the grill is old and have flame problems. Would 55,000 BTU unit be strong enough for the syrup? I've looked at jet boilers and they seem too hot or may be difficult to keep at a lower temperature. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Bayou-Classic-59-000-BTU-High-Pressure-Propane-Gas-Outdoor-Cooker-with-Stainless-Braided-Hose-SP10/100056313 https://www.homedepot.com/p/GASONE-65-000-BTU-High-Pressure-Propane-Burner-Outdoor-Cooker-with-0-PSI-to-20-PSI-Steel-Braided-Hose-B-5300/310698908 Any suggestions?