December 17 is National Maple Syrup Day!

December 17 is National Maple Syrup Day!  Maple syrup has deep roots in North America, in particular it is associated with Canada and the northeastern United States. Native Americans were the first to discover the magic of boiling maple sap down to a sugary, thick liquid. European settlers were quick to follow in their footsteps.

Maple syrup served as a moral alternative to sugar cane in earlier centuries. In those times, nearly all sugar (cane and molasses) was produced by means of slavery and imported to the rest of the country. Maple syrup was a notable exception, frequently produced through community efforts.

Did you know? It takes 40 gallons of sap to make just one gallon of syrup! Sugar maple sap is mostly water and requires a lengthy refinement process to become the syrup we know and love. Syrups are graded based on their deepness of color and intensity of taste.

On Their Way to Camp, Eastman Johnson, 1873

-Written by Anna Zemaitaitis, Communications and Design Officer