Sugarmakers – those folks who tend to groves of maple trees year-round and tap them to take advantage of the tasty superfood that comes from them when the weather conditions are just right – are mostly known for making one product: maple syrup.
And while it’s true the vast majority of maple sap is evaporated down into maple syrup, there’s a lot more going on in the world of all things maple. Producers are often looking to expand what they can offer potential customers – and shoppers are often looking for the latest and the greatest when it comes to things they can introduce to their taste buds.
Maple candy is always popular (as yours truly can attest – I bought a full pound of it from the Vermont Building at the 2023 Big E in Western Massachusetts). Maple cotton candy just turns it into a lighter, fluffier form.
Maple flavor adds a special sweetness to marinades and sauces, especially barbecue sauces. You could consider adding maple syrup to your next rack of ribs in lieu of brown sugar. If you make your own hot sauce, you can put some in there too to help fight the fire.
Speaking of special sweetness… A number of brewers and cidermakers are adding maple to their adult beverages as well (especially in Vermont, but definitely all across the Northeast sugarmaking region).
Have you ever tried maple soda or maple water? Editor Courtney is a big fan of Drink Simple maple water – specifically the blackberry lemon sparkling option. The company says “maple water is delightfully refreshing, nutrient-packed, tree-based hydration with naturally occurring plant-powered electrolytes, prebiotics and no added sugar. Maple water is tapped directly from maple trees.” You’re drinking maple sap. And it’s delicious.
Runamok Maple is doing all kinds of crazy stuff with maple and it’s working! They have syrup that sparkles (literally). They have infused flavors of syrup too, including coffee, pineapple, elderberry, black jelly bean and smoked chili pepper.
Maple works well when paired with dairy products too. You can make your own maple butter, which is perfect for topping all kinds of breakfast foods. Or consider trying out some maple cheddar, like the kind made by Grafton Village Cheese. Just imagine how delightful a slice of that would be on top of some warm apple pie – or try some of the recipes they have listed on their site.
The gist of all this is that there are a lot of options when it comes to value-added maple products. If you’re a maple producer, no matter the size of your operation, giving customers another reason to stop by and buy can be as easy as following your imagination.
by Courtney Llewellyn
