| Native Americans were the first to discover
“sinzibuckwud'” the Algonquin (a Native American tribe) word
for maple syrup, meaning literally “drawn from wood”. |
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| The Sugar Maple is the main syrup producing tree. However,
there are two other types of sugar maple. The Red Maple and the Silver Maple
can also produce maple syrup, but their sap contains less sugar. |
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Native Americans used their
tomahawks to make V-shaped incisions in the trees. They inserted reeds or
concave pieces of bark to run the sap into buckets made from birch bark.
Clay pots served as recipients to boil the sap in order to obtain maple
syrup.
This nutritious and energy-giving product was then enjoyed as a sweet drink
or used in cooking.
The first white settlers and fur traders introduced wooden buckets to the
process, as well as iron and copper kettles.
Later, they learned to bore holes in the trees and hung their buckets on
homemade spouts.
Today, over 85% of maple producers use a vacuum tubing system connecting
all their maple trees. The sap flows directly downhill through the tubing
to a central pumping station located at the lowest point of the sugar bush.
The sap is then pumped to the sugarhouse where it is processed into maple
syrup. |
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