why 100% pure maple syrup so expensive?

[Dancing Fire]

$20 something bucks for a little bottle at the store.

 

[movie zombie]

because its 100% pure maple syrup and not corn fructose syrup.

mz

 

[FrekeChild]

Because it take enormous amount of maple sap to cook down to your little bottle of maple syrup. I can''t remember how much it is (seeing as how I live in New Mexico and not Vermont) but we''re talking A LOT. And all of that takes a lot of time to collect the sap, and then cook it down, as well as effort and resources.

But IMHO, it is SO worth it.

I''ve been saving this bottle of cinnamon maple syrup from Williams Sonoma for a long time...

 

[Luckyeshe]

Because it''s REAL maple syrup and it''s extra yummy!! No cornstarch!

 

[Camille]

I can only speak for my fave brand DF

We gladly pay 'lots' for ours grade A [medium amber/ full bodied]@ $50 gallon from a farm in PA.
It's production is seasonal, [Feb/April] depending on the weather, takes 40--50 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of pure syrup.
Not all trees get dual taps [20%] and holes cannot be reused next year since wounds heal 1-2 years so quite a few skip drilling.
Organic [low impact production] unfertilized/ zero formaldehyde makes a whole difference imho, did I say yummo yet? how about sourdough waffles with some of it.....heaven

 

[T L]

You can buy larger jugs of it for $20 at Costco. I love pure maple syrup. It's much better for you than the artificially colored, artificially flavored, high fructose corn syrup gunk that they try to pass off as maple syrup. I think for what it is, and for how difficult it is to make, it's a good value. It's also good in recipies like various baked bread when you don't want to use sugar. It has minerals and is much healthier than white sugar and corn syrup. Yum 100% pure real maple syrup

. You can also get it in completely dried out as maple sugar as well (it's most concentrated form) or maple butter (maple syrup with the consistency of thick warm butter).

I actually prefer grade B maple syrup because it has a "heavier" maple flavor to it, and it's slightly less expensive.

 

[PaulaW]

camille is right, 40-50 gallons of sap to 1 gallon of syrup. I gladly shell out $$$ for the real stuff and I despise the corn syrup fake stuff!
TL - I''m with you, grade b for me. I LOVE the strong flavor of it.

 

[Octavia]

My family makes maple syrup, and it's a very time-consuming and labor-intensive process. Everything Camille said regarding the amount of sap needed and the time constraints is spot-on. Additionally, although collecting sap is easier now than it used to be, since most taps are connected to tiny hoses that run into a central collection tank rather than individual buckets hung on every tap, it's still a huge job. During syruping season, my dad, brother, and uncle work at least 6-8 hours a day in addition to their full-time jobs in order to make enough syrup for the family and a bit more to sell. You can't really automate the process because you never know how quickly any given batch of sap will evaporate, and it needs to be drawn off gallon by gallon as it comes to the right color and consistency. It's not something an inexperienced person or a computer would have a very easy time figuring out, and mistakes are costly. My grandmother makes maple cream and maple sugar, which are just syrup further boiled down to thicken or solidify it, and that also takes hours and a TON of work.

Since I grew up with only real syrup, I can't eat the fake stuff, it makes me sick. So even if I didn't get the syrup from my family, I'd pay whatever price necessary to have it!

I also agree with tourmaline_lover about grade B -- we always had it at home because the "fancy" grades sell for higher prices (people think fancy syrup looks prettier, I guess), but grade B tastes so much better.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

I was raised on real maple syrup. I refuse to eat anything else on my pancakes and waffles. Yummy! Well worth the $$ in my opinion and that gallon will last you a LONG time!

 

[DiamanteBlu]

It was never cheap but prices went through the roof last year. Combination of bad weather [lower supply] and increased demand - particularly overseas.

 

[T L]

Date: 10/8/2009 2:29:04 PM
Author: Octavia
My family makes maple syrup, and it''s a very time-consuming and labor-intensive process. Everything Camille said regarding the amount of sap needed and the time constraints is spot-on. Additionally, although collecting sap is easier now than it used to be, since most taps are connected to tiny hoses that run into a central collection tank rather than individual buckets hung on every tap, it''s still a huge job. During syruping season, my dad, brother, and uncle work at least 6-8 hours a day in addition to their full-time jobs in order to make enough syrup for the family and a bit more to sell. You can''t really automate the process because you never know how quickly any given batch of sap will evaporate, and it needs to be drawn off gallon by gallon as it comes to the right color and consistency. It''s not something an inexperienced person or a computer would have a very easy time figuring out, and mistakes are costly. My grandmother makes maple cream and maple sugar, which are just syrup further boiled down to thicken or solidify it, and that also takes hours and a TON of work.

Since I grew up with only real syrup, I can''t eat the fake stuff, it makes me sick. So even if I didn''t get the syrup from my family, I''d pay whatever price necessary to have it!

I also agree with tourmaline_lover about grade B -- we always had it at home because the ''fancy'' grades sell for higher prices (people think fancy syrup looks prettier, I guess), but grade B tastes so much better.

Very interesting family business you have there. I think grade A isn''t as concentrated as grade B, but I''m not sure about that.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 10/8/2009 2:14:19 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover
You can buy larger jugs of it for $20 at Costco. I love pure maple syrup. It''s much better for you than the artificially colored, artificially flavored, high fructose corn syrup gunk that they try to pass off as maple syrup. I think for what it is, and for how difficult it is to make, it''s a good value. It''s also good in recipies like various baked bread when you don''t want to use sugar. It has minerals and is much healthier than white sugar and corn syrup. Yum 100% pure real maple syrup

. You can also get it in completely dried out as maple sugar as well (it''s most concentrated form) or maple butter (maple syrup with the consistency of thick warm butter).

I actually prefer grade B maple syrup because it has a ''heavier'' maple flavor to it, and it''s slightly less expensive.

yeah, bought a QT of Kirkland at Costco for $13

 

[neatfreak]

Oh so worth every penny. I have been known to take my own with me to restaurants that use fake.

 

[CNOS128]

I don''t know, but my husband''s parents live in Vermont and ALL of their neighbors make their own syrup, so we have gallons of it at our house. And it is delicious!

 

[T L]

Date: 10/8/2009 2:48:15 PM
Author: neatfreak
Oh so worth every penny. I have been known to take my own with me to restaurants that use fake.

Are there any restaurants that actually use the real thing? I doubt it. I should do that as well.

My husband actuall prefers his fake stuff to the real stuff.

I told him his taste buds are damaged.

Maple syrup also is a great maranade. Try maranating fish in it, like salmon and tuna - yum!!

 

[Dancing Fire]

Octavia

how about a pint of FREE sample for every PSer?.

 

[Camille]

style="WIDTH: 99%; HEIGHT: 55px">Date: 10/8/2009 2:39:39 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover
Very interesting family business you have there. I think grade A isn't as concentrated as grade B, but I'm not sure about that.

Wow how nice Octavia

lucky girl! Ditto....no fakes for me.
Once, I ordered two gallons 1@ [ brunch] A [$54] was just a tad lighter w/full flavor for sure. B [$50] def robust flavor, children found it a bit strong, we didn't hand out mini cups for B. I love both.

 

[soocool]

A neighbor of mine produces his own maple syrup and it is quite a task. He has about 5 acres and on about 2 of those acres a total of 40 trees. His trees are pretty mature and usually has at least 2 taps per tree and each tap will produce about 10 or so gallons of syrup. The amount of syrup he produces is affected by the temperatures and I remember after one very warm winter he didn''t make any syrup.

His is a light amber syrup which has a very delicate flavor. Syrup season is about 6 weeks long in early spring and he used to give tours to local groups but doesn''t anymore after he broke his back.

I think I will give him a call and see if he has any syrup left after last season, because now I am in the mood for pancakes with yummy maple syrup.

 

[kama_s]

Date: 10/8/2009 2:50:44 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover


My husband actuall prefers his fake stuff to the real stuff.

I told him his taste buds are damaged.

It''s the same with my husband too! And we''re Canadian! Go figure!

 

[canuk-gal]

Date: 10/8/2009 4:25:05 PM
Author: kama_s

Date: 10/8/2009 2:50:44 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover


My husband actuall prefers his fake stuff to the real stuff.

I told him his taste buds are damaged.

It''s the same with my husband too! And we''re Canadian! Go figure!

HI:

Blasphemy!

I luv it--the real thing that is. There are many different grades--I recently had an "organic" one--quite dark and of course, tasty.

cheers--Sharon

 

[Mara]

TJ''s also has a huge jug of it for like $14. i think it''s grade B which i prefer to bake with.

 

[zoebartlett]

I''m from New England, and it''s considered a sin practically to use anything other than real maple syrup. I do admit though that I like the fake stuff too.

 

[anchor31]

Maple syrup and sugar shacks are a huge part of the French Canadian culture... For most of us it''s maple syrup or nothing. DH and I usually buy in larger quantities direct from the producer, so we save major $$$.

Why is it so expensive? As Freke said, it takes a lot of sap to make syrup, plus the weather conditions have not been optimal for the last few years, and then there are acidic rains...

 

[Mara]

lol zoe...i admit i like mrs butterworth. i was raised on it. or log cabin.

i am not a big fan of real maple syrup but greg loves it so i keep one in the house for him while i eat the fakey.

 

[luv2sparkle]

I love love love maple anything. It is my favorite flavor. I love maple syrup on oatmeal. Yummm. I rarely use sugar in anything except baking anymore.
I will pay whatever price it goes to! All the chemicals and preservatives not to mention the high frutose corn syrup, keeps me from ever buying it. (in the fake)

When my son went back to college this year I wanted to get him some hot cocoa mix. After I read the label I just couldnt get myself to buy it. Had to go to the
health food store and find some without the junk.

I have recently developed a huge allergy to additives and chemicals. Makes me break out in hives. Not fun.

When I was in college I had a aunt in Mass. who sent me a box of maple candies. I hid them in a drawer and made them last all year by taking a little bite at
a time. Love those!

 

[HollyS]

Date: 10/8/2009 1:37:33 PM
Author:Dancing Fire
$20 something bucks for a little bottle at the store.

You can tell you''ve never lived where maples trees are sapped to make syrup. It can only happen in the very, very early spring - - usually while snow is still on the ground - - ''cause that''s when the sapp is running in the tree. They ''tap'' the tree, hang a bucket on it, and it takes a verryyyyyy lonnggggg time for the bucket to fill up. Then it is boiled down with sugar; and a whole lot of maple sap is needed to make a very small amount of syrup. And that''s why it is so darn expensive.

My friends, living in Maine, buy Log Cabin syrup at the grocery, just like the rest of us. "Maple syrup is for the tourists." So they say.

 

[kenny]

Also it comes from Canada and the US where wage are relatively high.

 

[mochi]

Does it have to be refrigerated after opening?? I had one with mold growing on the top!

 

[gemgirl]

Date: 10/8/2009 2:50:44 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover

Date: 10/8/2009 2:48:15 PM
Author: neatfreak
Oh so worth every penny. I have been known to take my own with me to restaurants that use fake.

Are there any restaurants that actually use the real thing? I doubt it. I should do that as well.

My husband actuall prefers his fake stuff to the real stuff.

I told him his taste buds are damaged.

Maple syrup also is a great maranade. Try maranating fish in it, like salmon and tuna - yum!!

Or on ham. It smells so good while it''s cooking.

Octavia, what a neat family business!

 

[T L]

Just bought a nice size jug of it at Costco for $13. Yum!