Living Green Tips
Maple Syrup is a Healthy Choice
Maple
Syrup is a natural sweetener with many health benefits. It
has fewer calories than alternatives such as honey, sugar or corn syrup and has
zero fat and cholesterol.
It's also very versatile. In addition to breakfast type foods, maple
syrup can be used in recipes for desserts, salad dressings, main entrées and
beverages.
The best part is, it not
only tastes good, but it's good for you! It contains important and hard-to-get
dietary elements manganese and zinc. The manganese found in maple syrup can reduce
the damaging effects of free radicals in your body's cells. The zinc is good for your heart, can boost
your immune system, protect blood vessels from bad cholesterol, and help lessen
inflammation.
So why doesn't everyone
consume maple syrup?
Because they don't have it
in their backyards! It's easy to get use to it and expect it to always be
available, but it's not. We know because we ship a lot of maple syrup to
displaced Mainers! Maple sugaring is an art and requires patience, luck and
long hours. For sap to run, maple trees require the correct weather conditions.
Sap flows during the early spring when the nights remain very cold and the days
warm up to around 40 degrees. Maine
is the second largest producer of maple syrup and bottled 225,000 gallons in
2007.
Time to Celebrate!
It's March in Maine and most wonder, what is there to do? Traditionally, the third Sunday in March is Maine Maple Sunday.
Since Easter falls on the same day this year, we decided to hold our Maine
Maple Day on Saturday, March 22. Get on your mud boots and come join the festivities. We'll have a live
demonstration at our sugar house on how maple syrup is produced. In addition to
the tour, there will be a variety of other treats and activities for the
whole family to enjoy, including syrup on ice cream, maple cotton candy, wagon
rides, live music and lots more. For additional information, click here.
Hope to see you on
Saturday, March 22, 2008.
