![]() Temperature, cooling time, and stirring will determine the resulting confection. Making candy or other confections requires you to reheat and then cool the syrup. These products include (but are not limited to) hard sugar (candy), maple cream, and crumb (appears similar to brown sugar). Many producers also further process the syrup into value-added products. In order to meet the legal definition, maple syrup must have a sugar content of at least 66 brix (this equates to 66 percent sugar content) at 60☏. ![]() Dark amber has a stronger maple flavor and is also used as table syrup, depending on individual preferences. Light amber syrup has a more delicate maple flavor, while medium amber has a slightly stronger maple flavor and is most often used as table-grade syrup. Syrup taste is generally reflective of the color. Check with a maple syrup equipment dealer or a local producer to see which tools are used locally. Some are somewhat expensive, while others are less expensive but may only be accurate for a short time period. There are many different tools available to determine grade. The third grade is labeled as Substandard and fails to meet the requirements of U.S. Grade B is used for processing and is often used in cooking and baking because of its stronger maple flavor. The syrup you produce must conform to United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) grade and classification standards. With patience and practice, producing maple syrup can be very rewarding and provide additional income. The first time you make syrup, you may not have a marketable product. The second option is to tap trees and make the syrup yourself. The selling price of sap is determined by sugar content, cleanliness, and freshness with prices ranging from $0.10 to $0.70 per gallon. Marketing sap will yield lower returns because syrup production is where most of the value is generated. This will reduce your initial investment and give you the opportunity to learn proper tapping techniques without the pressure of syrup production. The first option is to sell the raw sap to a neighboring producer who will produce the syrup. Beginning this enterprise requires extensive planning and may include a considerable capital investment depending on the size of the operation. ![]() It is recommended that you begin production by tapping a few trees and making a small amount of syrup to see if the enterprise is suited for you. The sugar maple has the highest sugar content of all the maple species and it still takes approximately 43 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup. Then, depending on the size of your evaporator, it will take many hours to boil the sap down to syrup. The distance of the maple trees (or "sugar bush") from the storage and production facilities and the collection method you use will determine the time required for you to collect sap. Quebec is by far the largest producer of syrup in North America with production exceeding 6.5 million gallons. Vermont consistently produces the most maple syrup in the United States, producing more than half a million gallons each year. Pennsylvania ranks from fifth to seventh in production with around 60,000 gallons per year and an average crop value of over $1.9 million. According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), national production averages more than 1.3 million gallons a year with an average income of slightly over $37.5 million. Maple syrup production in the United States is mainly in the Northeast and the northern Midwest.
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