Maple Syrup on the West Coast

~

Maple Syrup on the West Coast ~

CANADA PRODUCES 87% OF THE WORLD’S MAPLE SYRUP

Most of Canada’s maple syrup is made in Quebec, New Brunswick and Ontario. In the 2022 Canadian Statistics report there were only two Maple farms in B.C.

The sap in Maple trees only runs when there’s a change in temperature. You need freezing temperatures to change to above freezing that triggers the pressure to change in the tree, that releases the sap. So how often does it go below freezing on the West Coast? In a mild winter, there might not be any chances to make Maple syrup!

The trees are also different here. The Sugar Maple is the common variety out East while the West Coast has the Big Leaf Maple. To make sap into syrup, with the Sugar Maple, you need about 40 times the amount of sap. With the Big Leaf Maple, you need about 80 to 100 times the amount of sap!

That’s why making Maple syrup on the West Coast is very special and limited.

CANADA PROCESSING GRADE

  • has a brix (density of the liquid) between 66% and 68.9%

At Mountain House, the Maple trees give us sap somewhere between 0.7% to 1.7% sugar. We boil the sap for a long time and evaporate most of the sap until we reach between 66% and 68% sugar, resulting in pure Maple Syrup.

In Canada, if you are selling Maple Syrup commercially, there are certain requirements. It must be classified as either Canada Grade A or Canada Processing Grade.

CANADA GRADE A

  • has a brix (sugar density) between 66% and 68.9%

  • is uniform in colour and free from sediment

  • has a colour class

    • Golden, Delicate Taste

    • Amber, Rich Taste

    • Dark, Robust Taste

    • Very Dark, Strong Taste

2 tablespoons of Maple Syrup contains:

  • about 110 calories from sucrose

  • 26 grams of sugar

  • Manganese (35% of daily value)

  • Riboflavin (15% of daily value)

  • Copper (8% of daily value)

  • Calcium (2% of daily value)

  • Potassium (2% of daily value)

  • Thiamin (2% of daily value)

FROM THE TREES OF VEDDER MOUNTAIN