I bought a bottle of 'real' maple syrup in the supermarket. It wasn't
the cheapest and it wasn't the most expensive... but it was very runny
and thin tasting, and very disappointing. The bottle's almost gone, so
I want something nicer for the next one... any suggestions for maple
syrup brands in Florida?

On another note - last year I was struggling to make pancakes and
failing dismally. Since I moved to Florida it's easy! I make them
every sunday morning for our breakfast, because it's far cheaper than
going out and buying them... so what's the secret? In Australia I was
using a gas stove and I couldn't get the temperature right. The stove
in the apartment here is electric! I never realised there could be so
much difference between them...
~Karen aka Kajikit
Lover of fine chocolate, fun crafts, and furry felines
http://www.kajikitscorner.com
*remove 'nospam' to reply

Karen AKA Kajikit wrote:
> I bought a bottle of 'real' maple syrup in the supermarket. It wasn't
> the cheapest and it wasn't the most expensive... but it was very
> runny and thin tasting, and very disappointing. [snip]

Don't know about brands, but I recommend you look for two things when
shopping for maple syrup. It should say "100% Pure," and it should say
"U.S. Grade B." The grading system has to do with color, and "A" is
lighter than "B." It's a matter of personal taste, of course, but we
think Grade B has a richer taste.

> On another note - last year I was struggling to make pancakes [snip]
> In Australia I was using a gas stove and I couldn't get the
> temperature right. The stove in the apartment here is electric!
[snip]

We have a gas stove, and I use the electric skillet for pancakes.
350=B0F works best on this particular one.

-aem

On 1 Mar 2005 10:52:41 -0800, "aem" > wrote:

>Karen AKA Kajikit wrote:
>> I bought a bottle of 'real' maple syrup in the supermarket. It wasn't
>> the cheapest and it wasn't the most expensive... but it was very
>> runny and thin tasting, and very disappointing. [snip]
>
>Don't know about brands, but I recommend you look for two things when
>shopping for maple syrup. It should say "100% Pure," and it should say
>"U.S. Grade B." The grading system has to do with color, and "A" is
>lighter than "B." It's a matter of personal taste, of course, but we
>think Grade B has a richer taste.

Ah... I thought 'a grade' meant it must be the best... this bottle was
from 'Maple Farms' and it says it's 100% pure A grade dark amber
syrup. Like I said, it doesn't taste very maply to me...
~Karen aka Kajikit
Crafts, cats, and chocolate - the three essentials of life
http://www.kajikitscorner.com
*remove 'nospam' to reply

On Tue, 01 Mar 2005 14:02:09 -0500, Karen AKA Kajikit
> wrote:

>On 1 Mar 2005 10:52:41 -0800, "aem" > wrote:
>
>>Karen AKA Kajikit wrote:
>>> I bought a bottle of 'real' maple syrup in the supermarket. It wasn't
>>> the cheapest and it wasn't the most expensive... but it was very
>>> runny and thin tasting, and very disappointing. [snip]
>>
>>Don't know about brands, but I recommend you look for two things when
>>shopping for maple syrup. It should say "100% Pure," and it should say
>>"U.S. Grade B." The grading system has to do with color, and "A" is
>>lighter than "B." It's a matter of personal taste, of course, but we
>>think Grade B has a richer taste.
>
>Ah... I thought 'a grade' meant it must be the best... this bottle was
>from 'Maple Farms' and it says it's 100% pure A grade dark amber
>syrup. Like I said, it doesn't taste very maply to me...

Think of Grade A as bleached, white flour and Grade B as whole wheat
(without the health aspect). Some people enjoy the lighter, refined
taste of A for pancakes, others prefer the robust B. Usually B is
used for flavoring in cooking.

Real maple syrup is thinner than the corn syrup based mapleoids.

I likes my 10W grade A on my pancakes. I can't stand thick gooey 40W
syrups.

BTW, your success in pancakes now is not due to gas vs. electric.
There might be something else about the stoves but I daresay one could
make good pancakes on a wood-fired stove. A good griddle helps. I
do mine just fine on a gas stove.

There might have been something amiss about your old stove in
Australia. Being upside down couldn't have helped ;>

Sue(tm)
Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

Karen AKA Kajikit wrote:
> On 1 Mar 2005 10:52:41 -0800, "aem" > wrote:
>
>
>>Karen AKA Kajikit wrote:
>>
>>>I bought a bottle of 'real' maple syrup in the supermarket. It wasn't
>>>the cheapest and it wasn't the most expensive... but it was very
>>>runny and thin tasting, and very disappointing. [snip]
>>
>>Don't know about brands, but I recommend you look for two things when
>>shopping for maple syrup. It should say "100% Pure," and it should say
>>"U.S. Grade B." The grading system has to do with color, and "A" is
>>lighter than "B." It's a matter of personal taste, of course, but we
>>think Grade B has a richer taste.
>
>
> Ah... I thought 'a grade' meant it must be the best... this bottle was
> from 'Maple Farms' and it says it's 100% pure A grade dark amber
> syrup. Like I said, it doesn't taste very maply to me...
> ~Karen aka Kajikit
> Crafts, cats, and chocolate - the three essentials of life
> http://www.kajikitscorner.com
> *remove 'nospam' to reply

The grading has no bearing on the best or worst maple syrup. Here's a
URL that gives some explanation of grading:

http://www.vermontmaple.org/mgrade.htm

I, too, prefer grade B (...that's what I grew up with: both my parents
came from Vermont...). I now live in central Texas and I buy my maple
syrup by the ounce through stores that sell it in bulk (such as Whole
Foods or Central Market). Much of the maple syrup in glass containers
in the stores is watery junk. I don't know how easy it will be for you
to find grade B syrup in a regular store.

Jim Lahue

Karen AKA Kajikit wrote:

> I bought a bottle of 'real' maple syrup in the supermarket. It wasn't
> the cheapest and it wasn't the most expensive... but it was very runny
> and thin tasting, and very disappointing. The bottle's almost gone, so
> I want something nicer for the next one... any suggestions for maple
> syrup brands in Florida?
>
> On another note - last year I was struggling to make pancakes and
> failing dismally. Since I moved to Florida it's easy! I make them
> every sunday morning for our breakfast, because it's far cheaper than
> going out and buying them... so what's the secret? In Australia I was
> using a gas stove and I couldn't get the temperature right. The stove
> in the apartment here is electric! I never realised there could be so
> much difference between them...
> ~Karen aka Kajikit
> Lover of fine chocolate, fun crafts, and furry felines
> http://www.kajikitscorner.com
> *remove 'nospam' to reply

I like grade A medium amber for pancakes, grade B dark amber for dessert
toppings and recipe flavorings. I can't help with a brand, all the
syrup that I buy is from my great uncle who taps his trees and boils the
sap down in the maple shack. It's been blue ribbon syrup at the county
fair for at least 20 years running. Well, except for the year that he
and his daughter both entered with syrup from the same batch and she
won. LOL

I had some Bonney Farms syrup a few years ago, it looked good in the
bottle but was almost water in consistency. Here there is also store
brand real maple syrup available, I've had it, it isn't bad at all. I'd
just try until I found one I liked and hope that the next years run was
as good.

Jessica

Karen AKA Kajikit wrote:

> I bought a bottle of 'real' maple syrup in the supermarket. It wasn't
> the cheapest and it wasn't the most expensive... but it was very runny
> and thin tasting, and very disappointing. The bottle's almost gone, so
> I want something nicer for the next one... any suggestions for maple
> syrup brands in Florida?

Real maple syrup is usually a little runnier than the artificial stuff. It
is *supposed* to be processed to a certain brix, and that sugar content
should translate pretty closely to a consistent viscosity. I don't know
about the brands that you buy there but here in southern Ontario where
there are lots of maple "farms", there are standards as to brix and
colour. Early, mid and late season syrup vary in colour, the later sap
producing a darker syrup with more oomph to it. From my experience, the
price variation has more to do with marketing. Some suppliers put it in
fancy bottles, slap a fancy label on it and you can charge a few dollars
more. Sell it in small quantities and the cost per unit soars. I buy it in
a plain Jane litre bottle, usually around $15 per litre.


> On another note - last year I was struggling to make pancakes and
> failing dismally. Since I moved to Florida it's easy! I make them
> every sunday morning for our breakfast, because it's far cheaper than
> going out and buying them... so what's the secret? In Australia I was
> using a gas stove and I couldn't get the temperature right. The stove
> in the apartment here is electric! I never realised there could be so
> much difference between them...

There are very few rules to pancakes. The ingredients can vary a lot, but
you can beat the batter too much and the temperature has to be right.

aem wrote:r two things when

> shopping for maple syrup. It should say "100% Pure," and it should say
> "U.S. Grade B." The grading system has to do with color, and "A" is
> lighter than "B." It's a matter of personal taste, of course, but we
> think Grade B has a richer taste.
>

The stuff I buy must be C. It is the late harvest, much darker and deeper
taste.

"Dave Smith" > wrote in message
...
> aem wrote:r two things when
>
>> shopping for maple syrup. It should say "100% Pure," and it should say
>> "U.S. Grade B." The grading system has to do with color, and "A" is
>> lighter than "B." It's a matter of personal taste, of course, but we
>> think Grade B has a richer taste.
>>
>
> The stuff I buy must be C. It is the late harvest, much darker and deeper
> taste.

I tried to buy the grade B once, online ... holy crap, was it expensive. I
can live with the usual grade A for that amount of money. I *think* I'm
going to New Hampshire this May, maybe I can find some B for a
reasonable price.

nancy

>
> I, too, prefer grade B (...that's what I grew up with: both my parents
> came from Vermont...). I now live in central Texas and I buy my maple
> syrup by the ounce through stores that sell it in bulk (such as Whole
> Foods or Central Market). Much of the maple syrup in glass containers
> in the stores is watery junk. I don't know how easy it will be for you
> to find grade B syrup in a regular store.
>
> Jim Lahue

Actually, I found some grade B at Fred Meyers here locally & it was nice
thick stuff. It was in a plastic "jug" style container. Can't remember
the brand. The A grade tuff I bought at costco was watery. I didn't
like it as much.

"Karen AKA Kajikit" > ha scritto nel messaggio
...
> On 1 Mar 2005 10:52:41 -0800, "aem" > wrote:
>
> >Karen AKA Kajikit wrote:
> >> I bought a bottle of 'real' maple syrup in the supermarket. It wasn't
> >> the cheapest and it wasn't the most expensive... but it was very
> >> runny and thin tasting, and very disappointing. [snip]
> >
> >Don't know about brands, but I recommend you look for two things when
> >shopping for maple syrup. It should say "100% Pure," and it should say
> >"U.S. Grade B." The grading system has to do with color, and "A" is
> >lighter than "B." It's a matter of personal taste, of course, but we
> >think Grade B has a richer taste.
>
> Ah... I thought 'a grade' meant it must be the best... this bottle was
> from 'Maple Farms' and it says it's 100% pure A grade dark amber
> syrup. Like I said, it doesn't taste very maply to me...
> ~Karen aka Kajikit
> Crafts, cats, and chocolate - the three essentials of life
> http://www.kajikitscorner.com
> *remove 'nospam' to reply

The grade has a lot to do with how strong the flavor is. A is more delicate
than B, and if you're in mapleareas you can find C too. I prefer B, whereas
my wife prefers A. It's a matter of taste.

Kyle

Nancy Young wrote:

> "Dave Smith" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>aem wrote:r two things when
>>
>>
>>>shopping for maple syrup. It should say "100% Pure," and it should say
>>>"U.S. Grade B." The grading system has to do with color, and "A" is
>>>lighter than "B." It's a matter of personal taste, of course, but we
>>>think Grade B has a richer taste.
>>>
>>
>>The stuff I buy must be C. It is the late harvest, much darker and deeper
>>taste.
>
>
> I tried to buy the grade B once, online ... holy crap, was it expensive. I
> can live with the usual grade A for that amount of money. I *think* I'm
> going to New Hampshire this May, maybe I can find some B for a
> reasonable price.
>
> nancy
>
>

Last year grade B was round about $40 a gallon in northern New England.
Big plain jug...be careful taking it home if you are going by plane
box it with pleanty of padding and pray that it doesn't rupture in transit.

Jessica

at Tue, 01 Mar 2005 18:29:31 GMT in <asc921hb162loavedimbg5016t9phhs9p3@
4ax.com>, (Karen AKA Kajikit) wrote :

>I bought a bottle of 'real' maple syrup in the supermarket. It wasn't
>the cheapest and it wasn't the most expensive... but it was very runny
>and thin tasting, and very disappointing. The bottle's almost gone, so
>I want something nicer for the next one... any suggestions for maple
>syrup brands in Florida?

Shady Maple Farms' Clearly Maple is so thick it's best to *spoon* it out.
It has the consistency of thick honey or malt syrup. As a side benefit it
happens to be organic as well. Check your local health food stores. It's
not packaged in a bottle, btw, it's in a jar. So don't be looking for a
bottle format. No thin taste here. (oh, and yes, it's pure maple syrup)

--
Alex Rast

(remove d., .7, not, and .NOSPAM to reply)

What you want is real Canadian Maple syrup from Ontario or Quebec. A lot
of the "real " maple syrup is made from corn sweeteners and flavour
compounds. Aunt Jemima comes to mind as an example of crappy "Maple Syrup".
Too bad you can never taste the real thing fresh out of the evaporating vat
and slathered over pancakes and bacon. I have lots of black maple trees here
on the farm but am too lazy to tap them and make some syrup. Instead, I swap
garlic for maple syrup. Spend the money and get the good stuff, it is worth
the cash. There used to be a Canadian theme restaurant in Australia that
featureg Canadian type cuisine and products. Anything with Maple Syrup was a
big hit!!!!

Farmer John

On Tue, 01 Mar 2005 13:29:31 -0500, Karen AKA Kajikit
> wrote:

<thin maple syrup>

>On another note - last year I was struggling to make pancakes and
>failing dismally. Since I moved to Florida it's easy! I make them
>every sunday morning for our breakfast, because it's far cheaper than
>going out and buying them... so what's the secret?

According to "Cookwise" by Shirley O. Corriher, there are regional
variations in the hardness of flours across the United States.
Ordinary all purpose flour has less gluten in the southern united
states than in the northern united states. Not sure how this would
compare to flours available in Australia. Also, different hardnesses
of water can affect how effectively your baking powder or baking soda
works, as can the age of baking powder (IIRC!). So, you need to
experiment a little, and see if you can recreate the original problem
in order to understand the cause.

I've just acquired the "Cookwise" book, and heartily recommend it to
anyone who wants to understand the science of what they are doing.
Knowing the science allows you to fix problems, when they occur, more
effectively.

Shirley Hicks
Toronto, Ontario

Fudge wrote:
> What you want is real Canadian Maple syrup from Ontario or Quebec.

It also comes from the United States, in the eastern Great Lakes and New
England regions.


> A lot
> of the "real " maple syrup is made from corn sweeteners and flavour
> compounds. Aunt Jemima comes to mind as an example of crappy "Maple
Syrup".

I think most of the contributors to this group are label readers and
savvy-enough consumers to distinguish real maple syrup from "real maple
flavor."


> Too bad you can never taste the real thing fresh out of the evaporating
vat
> and slathered over pancakes and bacon. I have lots of black maple trees
here
> on the farm but am too lazy to tap them and make some syrup. Instead, I
swap
> garlic for maple syrup. Spend the money and get the good stuff, it is
worth
> the cash. There used to be a Canadian theme restaurant in Australia that
> featureg Canadian type cuisine and products. Anything with Maple Syrup was
a
> big hit!!!!

Who says the poster "can never taste the real thing fresh out of the
evaporating vat..."? I'm from New York State and not Ontario or Quebec, but
I've tasted the real sumptuous thing plenty during sugaring: slathered on
pancakes, dribbled over snow or boiled down as far as it can go and formed
into candy. Anybody who can get to a sugarhouse can do it, either as a local
resident or as a tourist.

Now, I "get the good stuff" from Vermont, but I used to get it from the
trees in our yard and interspersed through the apple orchard.

Nancy Young wrote:
>
> "Dave Smith" > wrote in message
> ...
> > aem wrote:r two things when
> >
> >> shopping for maple syrup. It should say "100% Pure," and it should say
> >> "U.S. Grade B." The grading system has to do with color, and "A" is
> >> lighter than "B." It's a matter of personal taste, of course, but we
> >> think Grade B has a richer taste.
> >>
> >
> > The stuff I buy must be C. It is the late harvest, much darker and deeper
> > taste.
>
> I tried to buy the grade B once, online ... holy crap, was it expensive. I
> can live with the usual grade A for that amount of money. I *think* I'm
> going to New Hampshire this May, maybe I can find some B for a
> reasonable price.
>
> nancy

Come to PA for the PA Maple Festival in Meyersdale, PA.
You can get a quart of grade B for about $9 or $9.50.
That's where I'll be going in April to get my syrup so
I can finally make those RI johnny cakes from the meal
I bought there last fall. I was out of syrup so I threw
the meal in the freezer to keep until I could restock
at the maple festival. I refuse to pay more than what
they charge at the festival! In VT they wanted $13-$16
a qt. No way, Jose!
Kate
--
Kate Connally
“If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off.”
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?

"Kate Connally" > wrote in message
...
> Nancy Young wrote:

>> I tried to buy the grade B once, online ... holy crap, was it expensive.
>> I
>> can live with the usual grade A for that amount of money. I *think* I'm
>> going to New Hampshire this May, maybe I can find some B for a
>> reasonable price.

> Come to PA for the PA Maple Festival in Meyersdale, PA.

The problem is, you can't get to PA from here.

> You can get a quart of grade B for about $9 or $9.50.

Wow, the quotes I got were 4 times that.

> That's where I'll be going in April to get my syrup so
> I can finally make those RI johnny cakes from the meal
> I bought there last fall. I was out of syrup so I threw
> the meal in the freezer to keep until I could restock
> at the maple festival. I refuse to pay more than what
> they charge at the festival! In VT they wanted $13-$16
> a qt. No way, Jose!

Thanks for the heads up, I would really like to try it. I have
a real hankering for waffles.

nancy

"pennyaline" <nsmitchell@spamspamspamspamspamspamspameggandspam .com> wrote

> I think most of the contributors to this group are label readers and
> savvy-enough consumers to distinguish real maple syrup from "real maple
> flavor."

That made me laugh. What ding dong thinks Log Cabin is the real thing?
Don't get me wrong, I grew up on that, but once I was buying my own
food, I knew to look for the real deal. Of course, I didn't have to feed
four kids. It's not cheap.

Oh, I just remembered ... the inlaws of the infamous turkey sandwich fame,
we went over for breakfast one day, they made pancakes. I can't think
how they made it (the syrup) except maybe they melted sugar and added
maple flavoring? Geez, why bother? They live in Michigan, can't they
get maple syrup there? I mean, it's not like they can't afford it or
anything.

nancy

Jim Lahue wrote:
>I, too, prefer grade B (...that's what I
> grew up with: both my parents came
> from Vermont...). I now live in central
> Texas and I buy my maple syrup by the
> ounce through stores that sell it in bulk
> (such as Whole Foods or Central
> Market). Much of the maple syrup in
> glass containers in the stores is watery
> junk. I don't know how easy it will be for
> you to find grade B syrup in a regular
> store.

>Jim Lahue

I have seen grade B in Trader Joe's but I have not tried it. I do not
remember the price but as I recall it was typical TJ's priceing, not
wallet busting.

DOGS RULE

Nancy Young wrote:
>
> "Kate Connally" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Nancy Young wrote:
>
> >> I tried to buy the grade B once, online ... holy crap, was it expensive.
> >> I
> >> can live with the usual grade A for that amount of money. I *think* I'm
> >> going to New Hampshire this May, maybe I can find some B for a
> >> reasonable price.
>
> > Come to PA for the PA Maple Festival in Meyersdale, PA.
>
> The problem is, you can't get to PA from here.

:-P Can, too! Actually "here" is *in* PA. What you
meant to say was that you can't get to PA from "there".
But if you can get from "there" to "here" you can get
to PA from "here".

> > You can get a quart of grade B for about $9 or $9.50.
>
> Wow, the quotes I got were 4 times that.
>
> > That's where I'll be going in April to get my syrup so
> > I can finally make those RI johnny cakes from the meal
> > I bought there last fall. I was out of syrup so I threw
> > the meal in the freezer to keep until I could restock
> > at the maple festival. I refuse to pay more than what
> > they charge at the festival! In VT they wanted $13-$16
> > a qt. No way, Jose!
>
> Thanks for the heads up, I would really like to try it. I have
> a real hankering for waffles.

If you want to read about the maple festival and get the
dates just google "PA Maple Festival".

Kate

--
Kate Connally
“If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off.”
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?

"Kate Connally" > wrote

>> > Come to PA for the PA Maple Festival in Meyersdale, PA.
>>
>> The problem is, you can't get to PA from here.
>
> :-P Can, too! Actually "here" is *in* PA. What you
> meant to say was that you can't get to PA from "there".

But I'm here!

> But if you can get from "there" to "here" you can get
> to PA from "here".

Yeah, but it's a huge hassle. I mean, it's not as if I have to
walk or anything, but it's a process.

Thanks for the info.

nancy (from here)

Anyone try birch syrup? I saw it mentioned somewhere... perhaps NPR...
and every now and then it occurs to me to try and buy some. This means
mail order, and the stuff isn't cheap.

Is it worth it?

--
to respond (OT only), change "spamless.invalid" to "optonline.net"

<http://www.thecoffeefaq.com/>