by Brian Barth, Modern Farmer
It’s syrup season again. Across New England and southeastern Canada, maple syrup makers are tromping out into the still snow-covered forests, checking their lines and watching eagerly as the sap flows to the sugar shack.
The smell of wood smoke spiraling from the beneath the syrup vat is the quintessential scent of early spring along the back roads of these picturesque, well-tended forests. But recently, some maple syrup producers have found there may be an even more lucrative market for the tree sap—maple water.
A new wave of maple entrepreneurs are skipping the laborious syrup boiling process—where sap is reduced to 1/40th of its original volume to create the beloved pancake dressing—and marketing the pure watery sap as a health drink instead. The first maple water companies emerged over the last few years in Canada, but the idea has now infiltrated the American market. The drink is primarily found in health food stores in New England, but distribution is ramping up and this year’s maple water harvest should hit stores across the country in the coming months.
It’s always been common knowledge among maple syrup producers that taking a sip of sap was a good way to quench their thirst while working in the sugarbush, but apparently the notion that it could be a marketable substance is a new one. The first impression after downing a glass of maple water is that it tastes like water, but with a slightly sweet aftertaste and a tiny hint of earthy, maple syrup-like flavor.
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Source: Modern Farmer