The Sugar Maple - Alchemist, Nurturer and Matriarch of the Northern Woodlands
Exploring the many gifts offered by Sugar Maple the in the context of Food Forest Design. This is Installment #40 of the Stacking Functions in the Garden, Food Forest and Medicine Cabinet series.
looking up into a Sugar maple canopy in early autumn, southern Ontario, 42nd parallel, 2025
She is the daughter of dendritic dynasties, carrying within each of her winged seeds the secrets of transforming starlight into sweet ambrosia.
Her story begins with an enigmatic embryonic envoy of the nobles of the wood sailing and spinning through the forest canopy. Imbued with the courage of a barn swallow and the resilience of her arboreal elders, she is born knowing how to both take flight and root deeply in place for centuries to become a pillar of life.
These winged libraries of ancient knowing are swift and graceful in their use of sacred geometry… pirouetting from the heavens, containing all the memory of ten thousand forests that came before their Mother tree germinated.
Behold the fractal truth contained within the Maple Samara. This extreme close up of the fractal dendritic geometry present in the wing of a maple samara (winged seed)
Spinning through 3 dimensional space she inscribes the spiral truth into the ethers from crown to forest floor, whispering to her younger siblings of the fabric woven into our DNA and all living things.
Scientists who study aerodynamics have marveled at how precise this design is. The wing has the exact curve needed to generate lift. The seed’s center of mass is positioned with exact balance. The rotation speed is finely tuned so the seed hovers and glides instead of dropping. Engineers have even copied this design for small drones because it outperforms many human inventions. Remove or alter any of these features and the seed does not fly at all.This is the unmistakable signature of the Creator. The maple seed’s flight is not random. It is purposeful, efficient, and brilliantly engineered.
Learning the secrets for giving her seeds the gift of flight from the winged ones and providing sanctuary for birds in reciprocation, they rest on her branches and sing the dawn to life each day.
Harbinger of spring and matriarch of the northern forest, she provides sanctuary for that thing with feathers that sits in the soul, she teaches us how to both allow our spirit to soar while also rooting deeply into the land that nourishes us.
Sugar maple in late autumn, southern Ontario, 42nd parallel, 2025
the base of an old growth Sugar maple in late autumn, southern Ontario, 42nd parallel, 2025
me, thanking an old growth Sugar maple for the many gifts she shares with our community, southern Ontario, 42nd parallel, 2025
This generous rooted being is the sacred messenger of the coming of the new year for in the culture of the original land stewards (the Anishinaabe) of the region I know call home.
The gathering of Maple sap and syrup is an ancient practice that helped sustain the Anishinaabe People for thousands of years. The maple tree is known as Ininaatig inthe Anishinaabemowin language, which referrs to her as the “leader” of the northern forest because she is the first tree to wake up in the spring, even when there is still lots of deep snow on the ground.
She is known as Wáhta to the Mohawk (Kanyen’kehá:ka) People, of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and they also recognize her as a matriarch and leader of the northern woodlands of Turtle Island.
Kanyen’kehá:ka are taught that Wáhta — the sugar maple — is the leader of all the trees in the natural world. The running of the maple sap is the first sign of new spring life and marks the re-awakening of Mother Earth after her long winter sleep. Every year, the Kanyen’kehá:ka have a ceremony to thank Wáhta for all she provides.
looking into 50 feet up the canopy into Elder Sugar Maple grove (southern ontario, October 2025)
The Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) offers her gift of nourishment to sustain many beings in her community with the flowing of her sap marking the Zizibaskwet Giizis, the Maple Sugar Moon, which is the Anishinaabe new year.
In her essay, “Maple Sugar Moon,” ecologist and poet Robin Wall Kimmerer writes, “One half of the truth is that the earth endows us with great gifts, the other half is that the gift is not enough. The responsibility does not lie with the maples alone. The other half belongs to us; we participate in its transformation. It is our work, and our gratitude, that distills the sweetness.”
She also creates a bit more of a mosaic of growth below because sugar maples produce a very deep shade and not much grows beneath them in these thick stands, even nonnatives like honeysuckle or multiflora rose. They are calcium accumulators, however, so ginseng, ramps, hazelnut and pawpaw and other shade loving food and medicinal plants can be planted below them. With thinned trees being cut from the forest you can grow medicinal and edible mushrooms from the wood like lion’s mane, reishi, and shiitake.
Many that have been indoctrinated into statist propaganda mistakenly think of maple syrup as a “Canadian” invention and the tree/leaf as a symbol of the nationstate of Canada. However, as I touched on above, and you will discover in more detail below, that is an example of government instilled multigenerational amnesia and cultural appropriation, as indigenous people invented maple syrup, and the being we call maple has been of central importance to several pre-colonial cultures of Turtle Island (which transcend the arbitrary lines on maps drawn by statists) for many centuries before there was ever a thing called “Canada”.
An elder Sugar Maple (acer saccharum) trunk telling the story of many storms and seasons witnessed and countless glowing leaves gifted to the soil. (42nd parallel, near north shore of Lake Erie, Eastern woodlands of Turtle Island, November 8th, 2025)
Maple seeds are also of nutritional interest. Although sometimes small, they are very nutritious and quite tasty. No breeding has been done for nut production however if you are diligent and pay attention (as with the variation in nut size in Hickory trees) you will find some trees that produce larger seeds. I have found a few big, old Maple trees that produces many pounds of lentil sized maple nuts each fall. They can be eaten like sunflower seeds. The spring leaves of sugar maples (and several cousins, especially Japanese Maple) are a tasty spring snack when small and tender. They are often used as an edible garnish in higher end Asian restaurants.
There are approximately 128 different species of maple, and while this article will focus on one dominant maple in this region–the sugar maple (Acer saccharum)- much of this information also applies to other kinds of maple trees. The main difference being that sugar maple trees in particular live up to their name and produce more sugar in their sap than other species (resulting in less being required for boiling down to make syrup).
The Sugar Maple may not be considered the most medicinal tree in a clinical reductionist sense, however, if you are a herbalist or someone looking to enhance your health sovereignty through stacking functions, having a source of high quality localized sugar source in the northern food forest opens up synergistic pathways for long term medicinal herb preservation/augmentation via fermentation/distillation. Even just a few trees could make enough Maple mead for preserving many other medicinal plants and fungi in a shelf stable format. If distilled, this also empowers you to make tinctures from scratch (without having to buy grain alcohol produced by monoculture farms in far away places as most do).
Thus, whether distilled or not, having access to maple sap and syrup for fermenting offers a medium for all a herbalist would need to preserve seasonal abundances using low tech gear. Therefore, it should not be overlooked, as herbal beers and wines, as well as tinctures, are often or most effective means of preserving and delivering medicinal herbs. Thus, this sacred tree that marks the awakening of the forest by performing the alchemy of turning starlight, air, rain and soil into sugar also offers a means for human alchemists and healers to synergistically combine and preserve other medicinal plants and fungi.
Common Name: Sugar maple aka “hard maple” or “rock maple”.
Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe): aninaatig, ininaatik or ninaatig.
Kanienʼkéha (Mohawk): wáhta’ or ohwáhta.
Dakota: chanhasan
Family: Sapindaceae
Part used for medicine/food: sap, inner bark, buds, flowers, seeds and leaves
(and wood for growing mushrooms)
Constituents:
Sap/Syrup:
Over 67 phenolic compounds, minerals (calcium, potassium, zinc, manganese), amino acids (arginine, threonine, proline, etc.), phytohormones (phaseic and abscisic acids and their metabolites), vitamins (niacin, thiamine, riboflavin, etc.), organic acids (malic acid, Gallic acid, Syringic acid Ferulic acid and fumaric acid), Quebecol, Vanillin, medicinal Triterpenes, and antioxidant compounds.
Maple seeds (samaras), particularly when harvested young and green, are highly nutritious, boasting a composition of roughly 26% protein, 15% moisture, 2.7% oil, and significant fiber. They are a valuable source of β-carotene, essential fatty acids (Omega 3, 6, 9), GLA, and minerals like magnesium.
Medicinal actions:
antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, Anti alzheimer activity, hepatoprotective, anti-aging, neuroprotective, Antimutagenic activity, Reproductive Health enhancing properties and anti-cancer (Antiproliferative) activities
- Antioxidant Properties: Extracts exhibit strong radical-scavenging capacities, helping to combat oxidative stress (offering radioprotective, neuroportective and reproductive health enhancing benfits).
- Reproductive Health enhancing properties: Phytohormones (phaseic and abscisic acids) contained in Maple sap, syrup and maple sugar reduces oxidative stress within reproductive tissues. Similar to its function as a stress-response hormone in maple trees and other plants, abscisic acids acts in mammals to modulate immune responses and reduce inflammation. Chronic inflammation is a known factor in various reproductive disorders, including endometriosis and infertility (in males and females). Abscisic acid has also been shown to promote cell survival in stem cells and sperm cells under stress. Given that oxidative stress is a major factor in male infertility and sperm damage, this antioxidant’s properties contribute to better sperm quality and testicular health. In studies regarding Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), a condition that impairs fertility, abscisic acid (ABA) has been investigated for its ability to protect human ovarian granulosa cells from hydrogen peroxide ()-induced apoptosis (cell death) caused by oxidative stress.
- Anti-inflammatory Effects: Studies on RAW 264.7 macrophages show that maple syrup decrease nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin-E2 (PGE2) production by suppressing NF-κB activation.
- Anti-diabetic Potential: Studies indicate that maple syrup inhibits carbohydrate-hydrolyzing enzymes, such as α-glucosidase and α-amylase, which are relevant to managing type 2 diabetes.
- Hepatoprotective Properties: maple sap, syrup and its extracts, possess significant hepatoprotective (liver-protecting) properties. These effects are primarily driven by high concentrations of antioxidants, such as phenolic compounds and quebecol, which help reduce liver inflammation, oxidative stress, and damage.
- Anti-Proliferative properties: maple sap, syrup and sugar contain phenolic-rich compounds with significant antiproliferative properties, meaning they can slow or stop the rapid multiplication of cancer cells. These effects are primarily observed against colorectal, breast, lung, brain, and prostate cancer cells.
- Neuroprotective Effects: Research suggests that polyphenols in maple syrup protect against neurodegenerative processes.
(The biological activity of maple syrup is attributed to the combination of its compounds rather than a single component, suggesting a synergistic effect.)
extended range (showing both sugar maple dense regions and regions where some sugar maples grow but they are not as densely populated)
this map shows areas where Sugar maples are capable of naturally growing in high density and to old growth status (some having been removed by idiotic greedy humans) and some still remaining. The interactive version of this map can be accessed here.
This tree also has a potential range that could include much of Europe, parts of Asia and high altitude parts of South America.
potential range of Sugar Maple in Europe (it is non native but can grow in some areas). They thrive best in Eastern and Central Europe, which offer the necessary cold, snowy winters and warmer summers required for proper growth.
Native to the hardwood forests of eastern and central Turtle Island (aka North America) ranging from Nova Scotia and Quebec westward to Minnesota and eastern South Dakota, and southward to Georgia and eastern Texas. It is most abundant in the northeastern US, New England, and the Great Lakes region.
More info on regions within Native Range:
Canada: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Québec, Ontario, and eastward to Manitoba.
United States: Found from New England south to Georgia and west to Minnesota and Texas. Key states include NY, PA, MI, WI, MN, and those in the Appalachian Mountains.
Growth Form:
The sugar maple is a large, slow-growing, long-lived deciduous tree, typically reaching 50–120 feet in height with an oval-to-rounded, dense crown. She features a straight, single trunk and opposite branching when receiving sunlight on all sides, making it ideal for shade. These beautiful and generous rooted beings can live over 300 years (some living up to 400 years of age).
old growth sugar maple, picture taken near the edge of a small patch of old growth Carolinian Forest at 42nd paralleled, near the North shore of Lake Erie, southern Ontario, Canada.
Reproduction:
The sugar maple reproduces primarily through seed production, bearing fruit at 30–40 years old, with heavy seed years occurring every 2–5 years. They produce yellowish-green flowers in spring (both male and female parts are on each tree) developing into winged samaras (seeds) that mature in fall. Their small, yellowish-green flowers, which appear in early spring before the leaves, release light pollen that can travel long distances by wind, although bees and other insects also visit the flowers to collect pollen.
Once the seeds developed they can disperse over 100 m (much further with wind).
Habitat and Ecological Niche:
The Sugar Maple is one of the most ecologically important trees in the northeastern woodlands of Turtle Island ( aka the eastern United States and Canada). It is the dominant tree in the northern hardwood forest, along with American Beech.
- Soil: Thrives in deep, rich, moist, and well-drained loams. It prefers slightly acidic to neutral soils (pH 5.5 to 7.3).
- Topography: Common on hillsides, in ravines, and in north-facing slopes, particularly in the southern portions of its range. It is rarely found in waterlogged swamps.
- Nutrient Cycling: The species is known for producing dense shade and thick, nutrient-rich leaf litter that improves soil quality by reducing acidity and increasing mineral content.
Ecological Niche and Role
The sugar maple occupies a critical ecological role as a “climax species,” often dominating mature forests.
- Shade Tolerance: Highly shade-tolerant, particularly when young, allowing seedlings to persist for many years in the understory until a canopy gap opens.
- Successional Role: In the absence of disturbance (such as fire), sugar maples tend to dominate and replace less shade-tolerant species, forming Maple-Beech-Birch forests. Here in the extreme south of Ontario, Sugar Maples also grow along side Oak, Hickory, Tulip and Basswood (linden) trees.
- Intraspecific Competition: Sugar maple roots release compounds that can inhibit the growth of competing species, such as yellow birch.
- Wildlife Support: Provides food and shelter for a variety of wildlife. Its seeds, twigs, and buds are consumed by birds, squirrels, and deer. The tree is also a host for numerous lepidopteran species, including the Rosy Maple Moth.
The Sugar Maple is of significant value for wildlife. It provides a food source for mammals and insects and is a key component of the breeding habitat for a wide variety of birds.
Sugar Maple is a food source for several wildlife species. White-tailed Deer browse the twigs and foliage. The twigs and foliage of maple species are reported to comprise 25 to 50% of the White-tailed’s diet. Maple species are listed as among the preferred or best-liked winter deer woods, although deer preferences reportedly vary significantly depending on the maple species.
Another mammal said to rely heavily on Sugar Maples is the Porcupine. Sugar Maples are among the ten species of trees that provide much of the Porcupine’s winter diet. This mammals eats the bark and can girdle the upper stem, with maple species comprising an estimated 25-50% of its diet.
Sugar Maple is also important for several insect species. The flowers appear to be wind-pollinated, but the early-produced pollen is important for Apis mellifera (honeybees) and other insects. In addition, the Sugar Maple is a caterpillar host for the Cecropia Silkmoth and the Rosy Maple Moth.
Sugar Maples are also important for birds that live in the northern woodlands of Turtle Island, both year-round residents and summer migrants who travel to our area to breed.
Upland gamebirds that feed on the buds, twigs, and seeds include the Ruffed Grouse and Wild Turkey.
One of the likeliest places to find a large number of Sugar Maples in around the eastern Great Lake region where some of the main species are Sugar Maple, Oak, Hickory, Birch, White Pine and American Beech. These forests are generally found in areas with moist, well-drained, slightly acidic soils.
Other hardwoods found here include Red Maples and Yellow Birch. A few Eastern Hemlocks and Red Spruce trees may also be found. In the understory of the Beech-Maple Mesic forest, look for characteristic shrubs/small trees such as Hobblebush, Striped Maple, and Alternate-leaved Dogwood.
mixed hardwood northern Carolinian Forest with Maple, oak, tulip trees and ferns (Ontario, Canada, 2025)
Flowering and Pollination:
The Sugar Maple flowers in mid- to late-spring, producing tiny greenish yellow flowers with five sepals. In the Adirondack Mountains, this tree usually flowers in mid-May with leaf expansion.
The fruit of Sugar Maple is a pair of winged seeds (called a samara). The winged seeds are green, turning reddish tan. The seeds drop in late summer.
Identification of Sugar Maple
The mature Sugar Maple is a large tree, growing 50-70 feet tall, with a straight, single trunk. The branches are opposite, meaning that they emerge in pairs, opposite one another. Forest-grown Sugar Maples are generally free from branches on the lower third to two-thirds of the tree, with a narrow, rounded crown. Sugar Maple that grow in the open are oval in shape, with upswept lower branches and straight upper branches.
Like other maples, Sugar Maples have opposite, lobed leaves. The leaves of the Sugar Maple usually have five squarish, shallow lobes. Each of the largest three lobes has one to several sharp-pointed tips. There is a moderately deep U-shaped notch (sinus) between the lobes.
The upper surface of a Sugar Maple leaf is green in the summer; the lower surface is pale green to whitish. Sugar Maple leaves turn red, yellow, or orange in autumn, contributing to the brilliant palette of colors seen in September and early October in her native range.
The twigs of the Sugar Maple are glossy and reddish brown. The buds are brown and sharp; the buds are slender and pointed down. The bark of the Sugar Maple is smooth and gray when the tree is young, becoming irregularly furrowed, scaly, and dark gray on older trees.
Keys to differentiating the Sugar Maple from other maples include its leaves, bark, growth habit, and habitat.
The leaves of the Sugar Maple lack the irregularly and usually double-toothed margins of the Red Maple. The dips between the lobes of the Sugar Maple are u-shaped, while the indentations between the lobes of the Red Maple are pointy, forming a sharp “v.” In addition, Red Maple trees are more tolerant of wet soil. A large, single-trunked maple tree growing near a marsh or other wetland is more likely to be a Red Maple.
The Striped Maple is a small understory tree, often divided into several branches from near the base. Its bark has distinctive narrow, white vertical stripes. In addition, its leaves are uniformly and finely double-toothed
In moderation, despite the sugar content, maple syrup does offer nutritional benefits.
It should be noted that obviously, Too much sugar is bad for your health, regardless of the type, but if you are going to want or need sugar for a recipe, Maple is one of the best options available.
Sap/Syrup and crystalized sugar:
The sap is rich in phenolic compounds (antioxidants) and minerals, so whether boiled down to be enjoyed as syrup or crystalized sugar or enjoyed in the fresh hydrating sap format, the essence of this tree offers a range of health benefits.
Investigations into compounds in maple sap provide evidence that the antioxidants exerts immune regulatory effects that impact both innate and adaptive immunity, making it a functional medicinal food when enjoyed in moderation.
Maple sap, depending on the species, contains varying levels of sugars – notably sucrose. Sap from the sugar maple (Acer saccharum), for example, is approximately 2% sugar.
For the wild food chemists: Sucrose, commonly known as “table sugar” — the predominating sugar in maple sap.
Overconsumption of refined (sugar cane, corn or sugar beat sourced) sugar is currently considered one of the main reasons for the global rise in obesity rates, type 2 diabetes, and other metabolic disorders [1]. Maple syrup and sugar is an alternative to refined sugar, more nutritionally effective and not containing the toxins contained in refined sugars [1]. Refined sugar has a glycemic index of 65, whereas maple syrup has a glycemic index of 54. From a health standpoint, natural sweeteners are preferred due to their higher nutritional value resulting from a higher concentration of compounds deemed to be healthy, which compensate for the negative refined sugar effects [2].
Maple syrup contains a wide range of phytochemical compounds, many of which present health benefits. Included among the elements and nutrients conferring health benefits are macronutrients (primarily sucrose), and phytochemicals (primarily phenolics) [5]. There are a growing amount of studies exploring the bioactivity of maple syrup's phenolic compound composition owing to the antioxidant properties of many phenolics. Maple syrup also contains minerals (K, Ca, Na, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn, Al, etc.), organic acids (malic acid, fumaric acid, etc.), amino acids (arginine, threonine, proline, etc.), and their metabolites), and vitamins (niacin, thiamine, riboflavin, etc.) which enhance its nutritional value [ [[6], [7], [8], [9], [10]]]. Further, other compounds could present a positive influence on human health through variousbiological properties (e.g., anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antidiabetic, anti-aging, anti-alzheimer, antimutagenic, and anti-oxidative), noting that such properties have been principally evidenced only in vitro, often on isolated compounds, and rarely using maple syrup as a whole component [ [[11], [12], [13], [14], [15]]].
For this reason, maple sap imparts a delicate, sweet taste to the palate, one that becomes extremely concentrated during the sap’s conversion into syrup. While I certainly enjoy maple sap for its delectable late-winter sweetness, I also appreciate its content of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, amino acids, polyphenols, and other health-promoting compounds.
The syrup and sugar can be beneficial when enjoyed in smaller quantities as part of a regular diet (or if used as a medium to preserve other crops, herbs and spices using fermentation, which transforms the sugar into other compounds while leaving the other beneficial compounds intact). It is also worth nothing that some antioxidants that are present in raw maple sap are concentrated via the syrup making process so it does increase the presence of some beneficial compounds.
The transformation from maple sap to syrup does more than concentrate sweetness. The boiling process creates new beneficial compounds (such as Quebecol). Heat produces a complex mixture of native phenolics from the sap and process-derived compounds.
Maple syrup’s color develops during processing and relates directly to its compound content. Darker syrups come later in the season and typically have higher levels of beneficial compounds. The sort of thing I love is how browning happens through non-enzymatic reactions between reducing sugars and amino groups. These reactions create beneficial compounds called melanoidins.
Here are some of the health benefits of maple syrup and sugar (when enjoyed in moderation or fermented).
1. Contains Numerous Antioxidants
Maple syrup nutrition is impressive when it comes to supplying protective antioxidants. In fact, the medical journal Pharmaceutical Biologyrevealed that pure maple syrup contains up to 24 different antioxidants.
The antioxidants found in maple syrup are mostly in the form of phenolic compounds. Phenolic compounds are found in a variety of plant foods have significant benefits when it comes to the prevention of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer.
They are capable of reducing free radical damage that can cause inflammation and contribute to the formation of various chronic diseases. Dark, grade B maple syrup typically contains more beneficial antioxidants than the lighter syrups.
Some of the primary antioxidants found in maple syrup include benzoic acid, gallic acid, cinnamic acid and various flavanols, like catechin, epicatechin, rutin and quercetin.
2. Offers Neuroprotective and Neuro-Regenerative Benefits:
Maple syrup contains over 100 bioactive compounds with potential neuroprotective benefits, particularly against Alzheimer’s disease. Studies indicate that phenolic-enriched maple syrup extracts can prevent the misfolding and clumping of tau and amyloid-beta proteins, which are linked to brain cell damage.
The compounds in maple sap and syrup have also shown protective effects on microglial cells, which are the primary defense against pathogens in the central nervous system.
Maple syrup’s benefits go beyond simple neuroprotection. The extract shows impressive protective effects with antioxidants, organic acids and amino acids serving to support the process called Neurogenesis.
Maple syrup’s phenolic compounds also fight oxidative stress, reducing DNA damage and improving cell viability and regeneration
3. Has a Lower Score on the Glycemic Index
Studies indicate maple syrup has a lower glycemic index than sucrose. Maple syrup also is a natural source of allulose, a simple sugar that doesn’t affect blood sugar.
Refined sugar, and in general refined carbohydrates that contain little fiber, are known to be rapidly metabolized by the liver. This causes a “sugar high,” followed by a quick “sugar crash.” Maple does not have that problem when enjoyed in moderation.
4. Helps Reduce Excessive Inflammation
Because maple syrup nutrition supplies inflammation-reducing polyphenol antioxidants, it can be considered part of a healthy diet that’s helpful in preventing certain diseases — such as neurodegenerative diseases, arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease or heart disease.
Many studies have found that phenolic-containing natural foods have anti-inflammation benefits for muscles as well as neuroprotective effects. Maple syrup’s plant-based compounds can help protect the muscles, tendons and the brain by reducing oxidative stress.
5. Helps Protect Against Cancer
While some evidence shows that processed sugar can cause cancer or at least contribute to it, maple syrup offers the opposite effect. This is due to the presence of antioxidants in the syrup that can protect cells from DNA damage and mutation.
Studies have even found that dark maple syrup can demonstrate inhibitory effects on colorectal cancer cell growth and invasion. Researchers believe that dark-color maple syrup inhibits cell proliferation through suppression of AKT activation. This makes concentrated syrup a potential “phytomedicine” for gastrointestinal cancer treatment.
6. Protects Skin Health
Many people swear by using maple syrup topically, directly on their skin. Similarly to raw honey, it may be able to help to lower skin inflammation, redness, blemishes and dryness. Combined with raw milk, yogurt, rolled oats and raw honey, this natural mixture applies to the skin as a mask can hydrate skin while reducing bacteria and signs of irritation.
7. Offering Improved Digestion and Microbiome Optimization benefits
Studies show that replacing refined sugars with maple syrup creates notable changes in gut bacteria composition. Maple syrup helps these beneficial bacteria grow:
Faecalibaculum rodentium
Romboutsia ilealis
Lactobacillus johnsonii
The results become more interesting with a marked decrease in harmful gut bacteria like Klebsiella species and Bacteroides pectinophilus. These bacteria often link to inflammation and metabolic disorders.
Research has found inulin in maple syrup, a powerful prebiotic fiber not previously known in tree sap products. This matters because beneficial gut bacteria specifically ferment inulin to support digestive health.
Scientists isolated this prebiotic carbohydrate from xylem sap for the first time. Studies show that this natural prebiotic helps good bacteria grow, especially Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus species, while it limits harmful strains.
Consuming high levels of refined sugar can contribute to candida, IBS, leaky gut syndrome and other digestive system disorders. Most artificial sweeteners also cause symptoms of indigestion, including gas, bloating, cramping and constipation.
To keep the digestive tract in healthier shape and free from chemicals and the damage done by a high-sugar diet, maple syrup can be a much better alternative to use in berry preserves, fermented foods/beverages, baked goods, yogurt, oatmeal or smoothies.
8. Supplies Important Vitamins and Minerals
It’s true that maple syrup is high in sugar in the form of sucrose (and thus the crystalized sugar and syrup formats should be consumed in moderation) but it also contains various other components, such as oligosaccharides, polysaccharides, organic acids, amino acids, vitamins and minerals.
It also contains zinc and manganese in high amounts. Zinc can help fight illness and improve immunity since it keeps your level of white blood cells up, while manganese plays a role a crucial role in fat and carbohydrate metabolism, calcium absorption, blood sugar regulation, brain and nerve function.
9. Healthier Alternative to Artificial Sweeteners
If you typically use artificial sweeteners or refined sugar products like Splenda, sucralose, agave, aspartame or sugar, you should think about switching these out for maple syrup and raw honey as soon as possible. Artificial sweeteners are tied to numerous health problems, including weight gain, fatigue, anxiety, depression, learning disabilities, short-term memory loss and much more.
It’s possible for existing symptoms and even illnesses to worsen by repeatedly using artificial sweeteners over time. They also show unfavorable results when it comes to weight loss. It’s very possible to form an addiction to artificial sweeteners used in many diet or light foods, since they affect your food cravings and your ability to manage your body’s signs of hunger and fullness.
Maple syrup isn’t linked to any of those health problems. Plus, it triggers more satisfaction because of its natural sweet taste.
10. Offers Reproductive Health Enhancing Benefits
Maple syrup supports reproductive health primarily through high concentrations of zinc and manganese, which are essential for sex hormone production and, for men, prostate health. It also contains antioxidants that combat oxidative stress, potentially aiding overall reproductive system function.
Some of the specific ways that maple sap or syrup help reproductive health are:
- Prostate and hormonal health: Zinc is highly concentrated in the prostate, and the zinc in maple syrup helps prevent prostate enlargement. Zinc also plays a crucial role in maintaining healthy hormone levels, specifically in regulating and balancing estrogen. Adequate zinc levels are vital for reproductive health, including regular menstrual cycles and fertility.
- Hormone Regulation: Manganese helps in the synthesis of sex hormones and thyroid hormones, which regulate metabolism and reproductive development.
- Libido Support: The combination of zinc and manganese is believed to contribute to improved libido in both men and women.
- Antioxidant Protection: Contains over 24 antioxidants, including phenolic compounds, which help protect reproductive organs from free radical damage.
- Mineral Content: Provides good amounts amounts of calcium and potassium, essential for reproductive cell function.
Pure maple syrup (and raw sap) contains several minerals and compounds that contribute to bone health and offer osteoprotective benefits. This occurs primarily through the support of bone density and mineral metabolism. Its unique profile includes nutrients that are essential for maintaining strong bones and preventing bone-related issues.
For starters, Maple syrup (and sap) is an excellent source of manganese, providing up to 100% or more of the recommended daily intake in a 4-tablespoon serving of syrup. Manganese is critical for bone formation, maintenance of bone density, and the synthesis of cartilage. It also contains calcium, which is essential for building and maintaining strong bones and teeth. The magnesium in maple syrupworks with calcium to support bone structure and aids in the absorption of calcium into the bones. the zinc is vital for bone tissue repair, renewal, and the production of collagen, which forms the framework of bones. And last but not least the Quebecol in syrup is a unique polyphenolic compound, formed during the boiling of maple sap, and it has demonstrated anti-inflammatory properties and has been shown to support the mineralization activity of osteoblasts (bone-forming cells), making it Osteoregenerative.
Pure maple syrup is recognized for its high concentration of polyphenols and antioxidants. Its rich antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties are widely studied for mitigating oxidative stress and damage related to exposure to ionizing and non-ionizing forms of radiation (such as EMFs emitted by 5G devices).
13. Maple Syrup and Sap offers Ocular-Protective (eye health) benefits
Maple syrup supports eye health through its riboflavin (vitamin B2) and antioxidant content, which help protect eye cells from oxidative stress
Offering a rich source of antioxidants and minerals like manganese, which help neutralize free radicals and defend cells from oxidative damage, maple syrup protects your eyes. Oxidative stress is a factor in age-related eye diseases such as cataracts and age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Maple syrup also contains zinc. Zinc plays an essential role in bringing vitamin A to the retina to produce melanin, a protective pigment in the eyes.
The Quebecol (found in maple syrup and crystalized sugar) has also been identified for its potential to support eye health, specifically in reducing risks associated with sunlight-induced damage. It acts as an antioxidant, contributing to the maintenance of eye health and aiding in the protection against degenerative conditions.
Historically, some First Nations people of North America used the bark of maple trees for treating various ailments, including eye ailments, highlighting the long-standing traditional recognition of potential health properties.
Benefits of drinking maple sap (before it is boiled down into syrup)
Drinking raw maple tree sap (often called maple water) offers numerous potential health benefits, primarily due to its rich content of electrolytes, minerals, amino acids antioxidants, and organic acid content.
The fresh sap from the maple tree (and some other trees) offers many of the health benefits listed above without the potential downside of ingesting to much sugar (and with the added benefit of hydration). Based on the principles defined by Dr. Gerald Pollack, maple water can be considered a form of "4th phase water" (or Exclusion Zone/EZ water) because it is water found within biological tissues (plants) and is structured around hydrophilic surfaces (resulting in deep cellular hydration as well as information transfer via exosomic particles in maple sap, allowing for communication from maple tree to your body via epigenetic integration of environmental stimulus).
Maple sap improves osteoporosis-like symptoms.
Sap from sugar maples has been shown to contain an impressive mineral analysis, including 16 times the potassium, 37 times the calcium, and 3.9 times the magnesium contents of spring water. All 3 of these minerals are essential for optimal bone health.
To test the bone-supporting effects of maple sap on biological systems, researchers carried out experiments where they put mice on low-calcium diets and supplemented them with various concentrations of sugar maple sap (1). Mice who were supplemented with both 50% and 100% maple sap concentrations retained normal serum calcium levels, compared to the lower serum calcium levels of mice fed spring water only and 25% maple sap.
Additionally, in the spring water-fed and 25% maple sap-fed groups, thigh bone density and length were significantly reduced, compared to the mice fed higher concentrations of maple sap. The researchers concluded that 50% sap solution could mitigate osteoporosis-like symptoms induced by a low-calcium diet, and they attributed its mechanism to calcium ion absorption.
Maple sap prevents gastric ulcer formation
Injury to the mucosal lining of the stomach can lead to stomach ulcers. Common causes include infection by the bacteria Helicobacter pylori, long-term use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin and ibuprofen, and excessive consumption of alcohol. If stomach ulcers are left untreated, they can eventually lead to gastric cancer.
Can something as simple (and tasty) as maple sap prevent these conditions from occurring? Researchers think so.
To test their hypothesis, researchers subjected mice to a procedure intended to cause stress-induced gastric lesions (2). Before the researchers carried out their experiments, however, the mice were pretreated with various supplements:
One group received L-arginine, an amino acid known to prevent stress-induced gastric mucosal lesions.
A second group received omeprazole, a prescription drug used to treat stomach ulcers.
A third group received a freeze-dried powder of sugar maple sap.
A fourth group (the placebo group) received a single saline administration.
Results were … well … quite impressive!
After being subjected to the stress experiments for 6 hours, the mice in the placebo group displayed abundant lesions, on average 1-2 mm in size. The mice who received L-arginine and omeprazole developed very few lesions. Remarkably, the mice who received maple sap prior to the stress experiments did not present any small or large sized corrosions.
In other words, not only was maple sap effective, it was more effective than L-arginine and omeprazole in protecting against gastric mucosal lesions. The mechanism behind maple sap’s protective effects seems to be related to its ability to significantly lower the mRNA expression of iNOS and nNOS, two enzymes that have been shown to play key roles in the formation of gastric lesions.
Researchers concluded that sugar maple sap can be used as an ulcer remedy or for other preventive and nutraceutical purposes.
Maple sap lowers blood pressure
Sugar Maple Sap concentrations of calcium, potassium, and magnesium are 37, 20, and 3.9 times higher than the levels found in spring water. Just as calcium and potassium are two minerals that function in supporting optimal bone health, they also play a role in regulating blood pressure.
To test the blood pressure-lowering effects of sugar maple sap, researchers fed hypertensive rats spring water supplemented with 25%, 50%, or 100% maple sap (3). Compared to the rats fed only commercial spring water, the rats supplemented with all concentrations of maple sap experienced reductions in blood pressure.
Researchers attributed the blood pressure-lowering effect of Sugar Maple sap to its concentration of potassium ions. As an added benefit, body weight also decreased in the rats fed 50% and 100% maple sap concentrations.
Maple sap prevents hangovers
Originally, the title of this section was “Maple sap facilitates alcohol metabolism,” which is probably the more accurate phrasing of what I’m about to describe. But ya, essentially that means hangover prevention.
As previously stated, Sugar Maplesap contains various electrolytes (the dissolved mineral ions of calcium, magnesium, and potassium). Because alcohol consumption has a physiological effect on the absorption, elimination, and serum concentrations of electrolytes and minerals, researchers wanted to see what effect, if any, Sugar Maplesap had on alcohol metabolism in rats.
Researchers administered concentrations of 25%, 50%, and 100% maple sap to rats, 30 minutes prior to receiving alcohol (4). Compared with the rats fed alcohol without any maple sap, the rats who were pretreated with maple sap demonstrated significant reductions 5 hours later in the blood concentrations of both alcohol and acetaldehyde – a toxic byproduct of alcohol metabolism.
Additionally, mRNA expression of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), two liver enzymes necessary for alcohol metabolism, was significantly increased in the rats pretreated with maple sap (increased is a good thing in this case). The results suggest that, at least in rats, consuming maple sap prior to ingesting alcohol can increase the rate at which alcohol is metabolized in the body. The researchers also concluded that maple sap may reduce oxidative stress associated with alcohol consumption.
Maple sap supports a healthy immune response
Whenever our bodies are exposed to pathogenic microbes, our immune systems heed the call to action. In particular, white blood cells known as neutrophils congregate at the site of infection and engulf (think swallow) the offending microbes. Once the pathogens are engulfed, enzymes within our bodies generate substances known as reactive oxygen species (ROS) that, through oxidation, eliminate the bad guys.
This latter process – of generating reactive oxygen species – is necessary in order to remove pathogens, but it can also inflict damage inside our bodies. Oxidation is an on-going process, but too much of it can be a bad thing. Regulation, therefore, is necessary in order to balance this delicate dance between eliminating pathogens while minimally damaging host tissue. Sugar Maple sap helps.
To test this hypothesis, researchers treated mice, rats, and canines with a compound known to impair the immune system, then administered increasing concentrations of Sugar Maple sap (5). Results showed that treatment with maple sap stimulated the activity of neutrophils (immune cells) in mice, rat and canines. Additionally, the sap enhanced the last step in this process – the elimination of microbes using ROS.
While this study was performed on animals, the researchers concluded that Sugar Maple sap may have potential antimicrobial effects for patients with infection.
Maple sap contains antioxidants
As mentioned previously, oxidation is a natural process in the human body that, if left unchecked, can result in conditions such as atherosclerosis, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease (just to name a few). Antioxidants combat the process of oxidation, and can be produced internally as well as provided externally through the consumption of antioxidant-rich foods – for example, the sugar maple.
The sugar maple (Acer saccharum), a species native to North America, yields the highest volume and concentration of sap, making it a superior candidate for tapping. Its sugar content is approximately 2.0%.
Antioxidants within the sap of A. saccharum have the ability to scavenge the superoxide radical (6) – a potentially destructive molecule that has been implicated in numerous diseases, including diabetes and cardiovascular disease (7, 8).
Out of 10 compounds analyzed in sugar maple sap for their antioxidant effects, only 3 of these are found in maple syrup from the sugar maple. What this means is that several antioxidant compounds are seemingly lost in the transformation from sap into syrup. Perhaps this is one of many benefits to consuming maple sap in its fresh form.
Summary of health benefits: Sap from various maple trees has been shown to provide support for osteoporosis, prevent gastric ulcer formation, lower blood pressure, mitigate alcoholic hangovers, support a healthy immune system, and offer dietary antioxidants.
Seeds:
Maple seeds (samaras), particularly when harvested young and green, are highly nutritious, boasting a composition of roughly 26% protein, 15% moisture, 2.7% oil, and significant fiber. Often described as tasting like edamame or snap peas, they are a valuable source of essential fatty acids (Omega 3, 6, 9), GLA, and minerals like magnesium
Analytical data showed that the crude protein and crude fiber contains of maple seed whole fruit body are 26.44, 22.99% and 8.04, 10.33% respectively. Maple seed characterized with especially high level of Mg due to high contend of chlorophyll in seed. Maple seed has balanced essential amino-acid composition and relatively high level of methionine and tryptophan compared with soybean seed. The storage protein composition of maple tree is relatively simple and characterized with high level of 11S globulin which has high methionine contend. The storage protein consists of 30% of albumin which has balanced amino-acid composition.
History and Cultural Relevance of Sugar Maples:
As noted above, Indigenous peoples of the Eastern Woodlands—including the Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabe, Mi'kmaq, and Algonquin—have harvested maple sap for thousands of years, long before European arrival.
Zizibaskwet Giizis, the Maple Sugar Moon, which is the Anishinaabe new year and the time when the earth wakes up.
For Indigenous peoples, the sugar maple is a vitally important plant relative. Tribes like the Haudenosaunee, Abenaki, Dakota, and Anishinaabe harvest maple sap to make syrup and sugar, often in communal gatherings and ceremonies (now commonly known as “sugarbush” in English language) that celebrate the return of spring.
She is known as Wáhta to the Mohawk (Kanyen’kehá:ka) People, of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy signifiying that they recognize her as a matriarch and leader of the northern woodlands of Turtle Island.
Kanyen’kehá:ka are taught that Wáhta — the sugar maple — is seen as the leader of all the trees in the natural world. The running of the maple sap is the first sign of new spring life and marks the re-awakening of Mother Earth after her long winter sleep. Maple sap is a diuretic and inner cleanser. Maple syrup is a natural sweetener in traditional foods. Every year, the Kanyen’kehá:ka have a ceremony to thank Wáhta for all she provides. It’s important to plant and preserve these trees for seven generations to come, so that our descendants can continue to offer thanks to the maple and everything she gives us. The Mohawk (aka Kanyen’kehá:ka) people give Wáhta (aka Maple trees) special recognition in the Ohén:ton Karihwatéhkwen: Words Before All Else. These Words acknowledge and give thanks to Wáhta and all our relations.
“It is said that our people learned to make sugar from the squirrels,” says Kimmerer. “In the late winter, the hungry time, when the cache of nuts are depleted, squirrels take to the treetops and gnaw on the branches of sugar maples. Scraping the bark allows the sap to exude from the twig, and the squirrels drink it. But the real goods come the next morning when they follow the same circuit they made the day before, licking up the sugar crystals that formed on the bark overnight. Freezing temperatures cause the water in the sap to sublimate, leaving a sweet crystalline crust like rock candy behind, enough to tide them through the hungriest time of year.”
And it was in this way that peoples of the Maple Nation, that spreads across the Northeastern woods, learned to make maple sugar long before they possessed trade kettles to boil it down with.
Instead of boiling, they collected the sap in pails made of birch bark and poured it into log troughs made of hollowed-out trees. The troughs had a large surface area, but a shallow depth which allowed ice to form on the surface of the sap when the temperature would drop.
Each morning, the ice was removed – water separating from the sap – leaving a more concentrated sugar solution behind. This concentrated solution was then boiled down to sugar using far less energy, conserving firewood and time. The people allowed the nature of the freezing nights – an elegant reminder that maple sap runs in a season when this natural method is possible.
“…having maple in your bloodstream, maple in your bones. We are what we eat, and with every golden spoonful, maple carbon becomes human carbon. Our traditional thinking had it right: maples are people, people are maples.” Says Kimmerer as she so eloquently describes the intricate relationship and awe-inspiring nature behind how this simple, and perhaps underappreciated, often misunderstood nectar arrives on our pancakes…and in these flaky, subtly-sweet biscuits, perfect for your celebratory tables.
Pemmican was made by pounding strips of meat and berries with maple sugar and letting those dry out in the sun (Iroquios, The Hunting of the Great Bear). Pemmican was an incredibly important food for native peoples and American colonists alike, especially those in the frontier areas of the USA.
sugar maples in early autumn, southern Ontario, 2025
“Maple syrup is another local dietary staple. Its long shelf life makes it an ideal energy source for the cold winter months. But it’s more than just sustenance-it’s also a symbol of the symbiotic relationship between Indigenous peoples and the natural world. According to Anishinaabe legend, the trickster figure and cultural hero Nanabozho discovered maple syrup when the thick, sweet substance rained down on him from a tree. Fearing his people would become lazy if given this delicacy so freely, he turned the syrup into sap so that they would have to work hard to enjoy it.
Today, the laborious but worthwhile process of maple sugaring looks much like it did centuries ago, aside from modern tools. In the spring when daytime temperatures rise above freezing but nighttime temperatures remain below, people take to the woods, typically returning to established sugar bush camps. Quite often, the same family or group has gathered at these special tree groves for generations to not only collect sap but also share stories and pass on time-honored traditions.
Ojibwe woman tapping a sugar maple, photograph by Roland Reed (1908)
To tap for sap, sugar makers drill or gash a small hole in the side of a tree and then pound in a spigot, with a container (historically made of birchbark) placed beneath to catch the diverted sap. They then boil it down for several hours to achieve the desired consistency and sugar content, It’s a time-consuming task, since some forty gallons of sap are required to make a single gallon of syrup.
Eaten during feasts, ceremonies, and everyday meals, maple products are also valued for their preservation and medicinal properties. Syrup has been used for millennia to cure and flavor meats so they keep through the long winter. It’s also used as an anesthetic and is believed to help naturally cleanse the kidney and liver.”
Centuries of colonization on Turtle Island have separated many First Nations communities from their traditional maple harvests with many losing their sugarbushes due to forced relocations to reservations and large-scale clear cutting. Government policies, like Canada’s Indian Act, served to further this agenda by banning cultural ceremonies and practices from 1884 until 1951, forcing those able to continue harvesting maple sap to either eliminate the ceremonial and spiritual aspects of it or to maintain them in secret and at significant personal risk. The Indian Act also introduced the Indian residential school system, designed expressly to “kill the Indian in the child,” dismantling Indigenous knowledge and culture through forced assimilation and abuse. The full impact of those schools, the last of which closed in 1996 in Canada, is still unknown, as unmarked graves on those schools’ grounds, containing bodies of children as young as three years old, continue to be discovered, and testimonies from survivors recounting their trauma come to light.
By that point, however, the First Nations people of northeastern North America already freely shared with French and English colonizers the secrets of how to tap sugar maples for an abundant late-winter source of subsistence, and the production of maple syrup had seen its own form of industrialization. The demand for maple products, not only within North America but also in Europe, had grown considerably. In many places, the buckets traditionally used to collect sap were replaced by tubing systems, and shallow evaporators were introduced to reduce processing time. Traditional wisdom—like heating the sap over a fire made of maple logs to create an even better taste, or letting the sap sit overnight in a bucket so much of the water would rise to the top and freeze, leaving a more concentrated maple sugar at the bottom, or storing it in makaks (birch bark boxes sewn tight with spruce root)—was mostly forgotten. (for more on that and a list of some great Indigenous owned Maple syrup companies, read this)
Maple Syrup and its connection to the slavery abolition movement in the USA
During the 1790s, the convergence of local production, agricultural development, and abolitionist ideals brought maple sugar to the forefront of political discourse. Early efforts to promote maple sugar in the United States were driven not only by ethical concerns but also by economic and nationalistic motivations.
After American independence, maple sugar gained popularity as an alternative to cane sugar, which was largely controlled by British plantation owners in the Caribbean. For abolitionists, it was a moral choice; for patriots, a means of economic self-sufficiency and resistance against British influence; for landowners, a potential new source of income.
Foreign investors also saw potential in maple production. The Holland Land Company, a private corporation backed by Dutch banks, purchased over three-million acres in central and western New York, partially to encourage large-scale maple sugar production.
However, the widespread commercialization of maple sugar failed to occur. The transportation of the final product across rugged terrain proved difficult.
Additionally, the increasing demand for European style biodiversity depleted monoculture farmland led many to clearcut maple forests for inferior grain crop cultivation, further limiting production.
Among the most notable maple sugar advocates was William Cooper, founder of Cooperstown and father of novelist James Fenimore Cooper. Cooper sought to establish a thriving maple sugar industry as a distinctly American enterprise, for Americans and by Americans.
Thomas Jefferson was also a strong supporter of adopting maple sugar over cane sugar to undercut British profits. Jefferson’s advocating for maple sugar production was more than words. He made attempts to grow maple trees at his home, Monticello in Albemarle County, Virginia.
For many years, he continued to use and endorse maple sugar as a replacement for cane. His motivations for doing so likely rested more in denying profits to the British over anti-slavery beliefs, since he continued to benefit directly from slavery, despite the influence of many prominent abolitionist friends like Benjamin Rush.
Rush, the Philadelphia physician and abolitionist, was among those who linked maple sugar to the anti-slavery movement. In his 1791 pamphlet, An Account of the Sugar Maple-Tree of the United States, Rush and his Quaker associates supported the use of maple sugar as an ethical alternative to cane sugar, which was inextricably tied to the exploitation of enslaved labor. By choosing maple sugar, consumers could actively resist the financial structures that sustained slavery.
Sugar plantation operations generated tremendous wealth for families who owned plantations but lived in the northeast or Great Britain. Maple was presented as an alternative to avoid supporting a product produced by the labor of the enslaved.
Then, as now, people with strong political beliefs saw their buying power as a statement of their personal ethics. Buying cane sugar made them complicit in the horror of slavery. Maple sugar provided an ethical, locally produced alternative. Reducing the demand for cane sugar was a way to strike at the profit of slaveholders.
While the enslavement of human beings on sugar plantations (using chains and whips) may be a thing of the past, Maple Sugar still offers an alternative to the ecologically degenerative (ecosystem enslaving) monoculture farms that grow corn syrup, cane sugar and beet sugar (often GMO and sprayed with poison). So even today, we can boycott the Big Ag enslavement of entire ecosystems by choosing maple sugar that is grown within a functioning forest ecosystem (instead of buying sugar grown in biodiversity stripped monocultures that replaced forests and that continue to enslave the land).
Getting back to the history of abolitionists and maple syrup in the US..
Abolitionists encouraged a widespread boycott of cane sugar, viewing consumer choices as a powerful means of resistance. While this movement did not gain broad traction, it reflected the abolitionist strategy of rejecting goods produced by enslaved labor, a stance that extended to cotton and other commodities.
British and American abolitionists alike condemned the hypocrisy of opposing slavery while consuming products derived from it. An 1830 British anti-slavery pamphlet underscored this sentiment, stating, “Is it not then most palpably inconsistent in those who protest against the injustice and the guilt of slavery, and profess themselves anxious for its abolition, thus to contribute to its support by purchasing the produce of the slaves’ labor?”
Notable anti-slavery figures such as Gerrit Smith — who provided land for the Black settlement of Timbuctoo in Essex County — advocated for the use of maple sugar as part of this ethical consumption movement. The Maple Grove Trail, which runs through a maple forest near John Brown’s farm, offers a tangible connection to this history.
Given Brown’s self-sufficient lifestyle, militant abolitionist views, and proximity to the maple groves, it is highly likely that maple products were a staple in the households of both the Browns and their neighbors, the Black pioneers of the Timbuctoo settlement.
Anti-slavery messages were tied up with the maple sugar industry in the late 18th and early 19th century.
Some of the poems focus on the potential of maple sugar to aid the cause of abolition:
“In sacc’rine streams, thou pour’st the tide of life, Yet grow’st still stronger from th’ innocuous knife. Thy blood, more sweet than Hyblean honey, honey flows Balm for the heart-sick, cure of Slav’ry’s woes Bleed on, blest tree! And as thy sweet blood runs, Bestow fond hope on Afric’s sable Sons.”
Meanwhile, lesser-known Founding Father Benjamin Rush sounds a similar note when he says “Cases may occur in which sugar may be required… by persons, who refuse to be benefitted, even indirectly, by the labor of slaves. In such cases innocent maple sugar will always be preferred.”
Sugar making, by Cornelius Krieghoff, 1849
In Quebec, they have a “Sugaring-Off” Tradition:
Quebec's “sugaring-off” (le temps des sucres) tradition began with copying Indigenous peoples, who first discovered that sap from maple trees could be heated into syrup, a practice later adopted and augmented with metal tools by French settlers. The Sugar Shack (Cabane à Sucre) were originally makeshift, rustic, woodland cabins became popular in the 1860s as sites for the “sugar party” tradition. They evolved into social gathering places, where communities shared meals to celebrate the harvest.
The springtime, when temperatures fluctuate between freezing nights and warm days, marks the “sap flow”. This is celebrated by visiting “sugar shacks” (cabanes à sucre) for traditional meals and taffy-on-snow. Modern versions of this tradition include family-friendly activities like sleigh rides, traditional Québécois music, and dining on dishes like maple-cured ham, beans, and oreilles de crisse (fried pork rinds).
In order to understand the sugar maple in the Native American lore, Dana O’Driscoll reviewed numerous legends–the sugar maple features prominently in their tales.
The maple as a gift that takes work. The maple was one of the only sources of sugar for the native peoples–as such it was seen as a gift from the creator. While the maple is a gift, the native tales are clear that this gift takes work (in the form of collecting sap and boiling it down to make sugars). In Gluskabe Changes Maple Syrup, the Creator had originally had sap flow from maple trees as rich and as thick as honey–one needed only to break off a branch and the sap would flow out at any point of the year. However, Gluskabe, who’s job it is to report back to the Creator, comes across a group of people who were fat and lazy, who abandoned their village and instead laid down in a maple grove sipping sap all day. Gluskabe was instructed to fill the maple trees with water each day for a full moon cycle, and now, people would have to work to have the sweetness of the maple and they would only have it for a short time in the spring to learn the error of their ways. At the end of the story, the people worked to turn the sap into sugar by burning cedar and making white birch buckets (using the magic of those two trees as well). The work of the maple sugar is also found in the Senaca legend, Woman who Fell From the Sky, where the maple sap is changed to keep people from living too easy. In another legend, The Sugar Maple, the Sugar maple gets help from Woodpecker, who helps him by pulling out the grubs that are under maple’s bark. Later, Woodpecker is dying of thirst during a drought, and Maple allows him to drink by pecking holes in the tree.
Honoring the maple tree in ritual. In order to keep the maples producing the sap, Native Americans did maple ceremonies to ensure good sap harvests each year. These were typically done right as the sap began to flow from the trees. These ceremonies usually involved having everyone gather around the tree, addressing the tree in ritual language, and offering the tree tobacco incense. This reminds Dana quite a bit of apple orchard wassailing.
Maple as a gentle tree. When talking sticks are made out of maple, it is said to represent gentleness.
The Fiery Red Leaves of Maple represent blood. The reason that maples turn red in the fall can be explained by Chasing the Bear, where a long bear hunt ends with the hunters piling up sumac and maple branches and butchering the bear upon the branches. In another version of this legend, “Hunting the Great Bear” reported by Hageneder, the long bear hunt happens each year. The the four brothers (who make up the constellation of the great bear) finally kill the bear and the bear’s blood falls down from the sky and turns the maples red.
La cabane à sucre. Auzou. Hickman, Pamela. (2019). En pleine nature : Les arbres. Éditions Scholastic Labbé, Stéphane, Iris L. Martinez et Laucolo. (2019).
Mon premier herbier des arbres du Québec. Mammouth Rose.
Wohlleben, Peter. (2017). Écoute les arbres parler: À la découverte de la forêt. Michel Lafon.
“Her sap typically runs between Imboc and Alban Eiler (spring equinox) and her leaves brighten between Alban Alfed (fall equinox) and fall by Samhuinn. I think the fact that the two more prominent events of the Maple occur around the equinoxes is no coincidence, for I have always seen the maple is a tree of balance, a tree that sits between the worlds.
Maple as a tree of gentleness and yet as a door opener. has always resonated with me. Meditating near a maple often leads one on unexpected journeys on the inner landscape. Sometimes, as I sit by an old maple tree, the tree tells me her story and I listen and learn.
When I was a child, sugar maple was one of my favorite friends. With her smooth, light gray bark, and evenly distributed branches, she made a perfect tree for climbing. From the canopy above, I would hide in her embrace, looking out at the world below. I would spend hours in one particular maple tree, sitting on a long, outstretched limb and observing the world around me. Inch worms lived in the tree, and once in a while, a bird might land. The sugar maple tree has always felt very protective and nurturing.”
Functions In The Wilderness and in the Food Forest:
Elder Sugar Maples like the one shown above provide critically important habitat and nourishment for their community while they both alive and no longer growing. Tall “snags” (standing dead trees) provide important nesting habitat and eventually build soil.
Next to old growth sugar maple groves where natural meadows occur, you will often find Milkweed, Anise Hyssop, golden rod, asters, Echinacea and Bee Balm (which invites pollinators to enjoy nectar while the old growth trees give beings such as monarchs a place to rest over night as they migrate southward).
Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) seeds releasing onto the wind in autumn with glowing orange/red Sugar Maples in background. Milkweed (as a being) inspires my imagination, teaches me to move with more grace and patience, as well as invites my heart to open when I feel like all is lost.
I came across this male monarch hanging out in a patch of old growth sugar maple, basswood, walnut ,beech, hickory and oak forest on the 7th of October. It was quite magical to see him gliding around our heads dodging the falling golden beech and walnut leaves (that were dancing down from the canopy spinning in spiraling motions through shafts of sunlight towards the rich earth below). I asked him if I could take pictures and he landed on a maple leaf to rest for a minute and let me witness his beauty through my camera lens.
Monarch Butterflies waking up in the morning and warming up their wings after resting overnight at Point Pelee, Ontario as they begin to embark upon their epic migration southward across Lake Erie. The foliage is a wild grape vine growing up a maple tree.
Unlikely childhood friends (American Beech and Sugar Maple) (42nd parallel, near north shore of Lake Erie, Eastern woodlands of Turtle Island, November 8th, 2025)
above and below shows a monarch resting on sugar maple leaves on the edge of an old growth Carolinian forest in southern Ontario resting during her migration south
Below are some ideas for potential companion plants that would work well with Maple Trees.
Another potential mixed guild:
Role: Primary Canopy Tree (Overstory)
Characteristics worth considering for companion planting: 20-35m tall tree, deep root system, dense shade in summer, produces significant leaf litter, sensitive to drought and salt.
Best Location: Northern slopes, valleys, or areas with consistent moisture
Guild Companion Ideas:
1. Mid-Story / Shrubs (Shade-Tolerant)
Spicebush (Lindera benzoin): Thrives in the shade of maples.
Serviceberries(all are great depending on position but especially Amelanchier alnifolia for shade tolerance): Excellent for nourishing pollinators and providing nutrient dense berries in northern and temperate climates. Saskatoon Serviceberry would grow in the shade of a maple where as the other types would be best on the edge of a maple grove for part sun.
Nettle (Urtica dioica) : Shade tolerant leafy green vegetable with many medicinal properties
Chives (Allium schoenoprasum): Chives are a determined perennial herb that seems to thrive no matter what you toss its way. Growing chives in the shade may not be as productive, but you’ll see plenty of chives throughout the growing season.
Comfrey (Symphytum officinale): As a nutrient accumulator and chop-and-drop mulch provider.
Egyptian walking onion or tree onion (Allium × proliferum): Egyptian Walking Onions are a unique perennial vegetable that grows quickly, spreading throughout your garden. However, it is easy to control, and you can always pull up the onions to eat and enjoy before they invade parts of your neighboring gardens.
In early spring, you’ll find green shoots emerging, and use these like scallions. By the early summer, tiny bulbs top the stems, and the bulb gets heavier and larger over time. Eventually, the bulbs cause the plants to topple over.
Then, the bulb roots once it touches the ground, and a new plant emerges. This is how it essentially “walks” over your garden. If you don’t want the onions to spread, you need to harvest them.
RoseRoot (Rhodiola Rosea): This would work well in the northern limits of the Sugar Maple’s range and as a food forest border plant (not directly under the maple but adjacent)
4. Vines
Ground Nut (Apios americana): Nitrogen-fixing vine that can scramble under the canopy.
River Grape (Vitis riparia): For vertical structure on the edges.
Sugar Maple wood, is an excellent substrate for growing various gourmet and medicinal mushrooms due to its density, which allows for a long, 5-7 year production life. Some of best mushrooms to grow on maple logs or wood chips include Shiitake, Lion’s Mane, Pearl Oyster, Reishi, Turkey Tail, and Wine Caps.
Guild Design Tips & Management stacking functions through time:
- Spacing: If you intend to grow old growth Mature maples, they need significant space (up to 50-70 ft roots).
- Nutrient Cycling: The maple drops a massive amount of leaves in the fall. Pair with plants that can grow through this heavy mulch.
- Initial Setup: In the first 5-7 years, use heavy mulch and supplemental water during droughts, as young maples are sensitive.
- Shade Management: Once the tree is 5-7 years old, the dense shade will suppress weeds, allowing you to stop intensive maintenance.
- Avoid: Drought-loving plants or plants that cannot tolerate dense shade
Traditional Indigenous Medicinal Uses:
Medicinal Uses of Sap and Syrup
Spring Tonic: The fresh sap was consumed as a revitalizing spring tonic to boost energy and promote general health after winter.
Cough/Respiratory Remedy: Maple sap was used as a cough syrup along with medicinal herbs and remedy for sore throats.
Gastrointestinal and Metabolic Health: It was used for gastrointestinal upset and as a liver/kidney cleanser. It was also historically used as an anti-diabetic aid.
Medicinal Uses of Bark
Cough and Throat Medicine: Tea made from the inner bark was used as a remedy for coughs, consumption, and to soothe the throat.
Eye Ailments: A compound infusion of the bark was used as drops for sore eyes or, by the Iroquois, as a treatment for blindness.
Other Uses: The inner bark was used as a blood purifier and for treating diarrhea.
External Application: The inner bark was applied as a poultice to treat sores, skin irritations, and wounds.
Medicinal Uses of Leaves and Other Parts
Skin Conditions: A decoction of the leaves was used as a wash for skin conditions.
Headaches/Fever: Leaves were applied to the forehead to relieve headaches or fever.
Gynecological Aid: Some uses included treating cramps and as a aid in childbirth.
Practical Uses:
Each winter, the trees awake as spring approaches. The sap rises from the rooted winter storage and is the beginning of the tree swelling its buds and then leafing out. When the sap rises, you drill a hole in the tree and insert a spile and collect the water. It’s kind of like what the sap sucking woodpecker does with its beak and tongue. Furthermore, once you have collected the water you boil it down to concentrate the sugars and preserve the harvest. This allows you to keep it on the shelf for quite some time once it is bottled. From there enjoy using this sweetener knowing it came locally, it is full of minerals, and is not GMO beet root sugar or high fructose corn syrup. It’s maple syrup, a tradition that has been occurring for millennia.
Maple season starts in my region at the end of February into march depending on the year and often goes until the end of March but it all depends on the weather. The trees require warm days over freezing and cold nights below freezing to get good runs of sap and every year is a little bit different with its timing. It’s truly a cherished late winter ritual to get out and tap our maple each year, knowing spring will be around the corner soon. Sugar Maples grow throughout the northeast and upper Midwest and up into southern Canada too.
The process of making Maple syrup is not difficult, but it is very time consuming. I’m going to walk through the process step by step. It can be done with a minimum of equipment and an investment of time.
Equipment:
To tap trees, you’ll need some equipment including:
Tree taps
Small buckets for collecting sap (ours are 1 gallon each)
Storage tanks / bins for sap (ours are 40 gallons each)
A drill (electric or hand-cranked)
A source of heat (we are using hardwoods from dead trees)
An evaporating pan to boil off syrup (this process should be done outside)
Measuring stick for measuring the evaporation rate of the sap
Screens/straining equipment for filtering out impurities
A few other things also help:
A secondary heat source and sap boiling apparatus (does not have to be large), this substantially speeds up the process
A group of friends (because many hands make light work and this is how we build community)
Several 5-gallon buckets (we used these to transport sap from the tree buckets to our storage tanks)
Something to take sap home in, assuming your site is not at your property–we’ve been using pressure canners with locking lids)
The Process
1. Identify maple trees of an appropriate variety and age. Sugar maples work best for tapping (hence the name) but all sorts of maples can be tapped (including box elder, red maple, etc.).
Ideally, you’ve identified the maple trees on your land during the summer months when they were in leaf. In the wintertime, the bark is distinctive and the branching pattern at the top is a dead giveaway to a trained eye. If you’re just getting started, make sure you mark your maple trees ahead of time to avoid any confusion.
Keep in mind, just about any deciduous tree can be tapped for syrup. If you make a mistake and tap a different kind of tree, it’s not the end of the world. The sap flow may not be as heavy, and the taste will likely be different, but it should still make syrup.
2. Tap your trees when the time is right. When the weather will be above freezing during the day and below freezing at night, go ahead and tap your trees. Tree taps also usually have a little bucket holder so you can place your buckets. We tapped about 50 trees, which is quite a lot, but there were about 8 of us and we all wanted lots of maple syrup.
3. Collect sap. Depending on the size of your buckets, it may actually be that the sap is flowing so well that you need to empty them twice a day. If the sun is shining brightly and its warm, the sap will flow quickly!
I should also re-interate here that the sap, in its unaltered form, is an amazing beverage. We fill our water bottles up with it and drink it and its so good. Its just slightly sweet at this stage. If you want it sweeter, you can boil it for an hour or so, and then it takes on a very mapley quality but still is not too sweet. I also freeze some in jugs if I have freezer space for using in recipes later or drinking.
4. Boil off the excess water. Our setup for evaporating off the excess water involves a 24″ x 24″ evaporator pan (which was custom made by a neighbor) and an old stove that has the lid cut out of it. The pan, then, sits directly on the heat from the fire. We lay the pan right on the stove, stoke the fires, and boil the sap down all day. As the sap boils down, we add more and keep track of the evaporation process. This allows us to have a sense of how many gallons of sap we’ve added and how much resulting syrup we will get.
We found that anything we can do to maintain a good boil is worth doing. You can see in the photo below that we are also using the stove to heat up/dry out our wood which keeps things hotter. After a few days, we got smart and brought out a second little stove and pre-heated our sap on that stove before adding it to the evaporating pan so that the sap wouldn’t cool when we added more. This probably made us 20% more efficient. As a complete aside, we also built ourselves a temporary rocket stove for heating up food :).
5. Boiling at home, part 1. Our rule of thumb has been that we boil as long as we can, and the syrup takes on an amber quality over time. We boil till the evening and it gets dark, and then at that point, we take it home to finish it off. As the syrup boils down, you’ll see that it will take on an amber quality. This was the syrup as I started to boil it down in my pressure canner. You want to boil it down about halfway where it needs to go one evening, then pour it into jars and let the jars sit. All the debris from the trees and outside will settle to the bottom after 12 hours or so. You pour the good syrup off, then boil it down until you are happy with the thickness. If you boil it too much, it will crystalize and turn to sugar (and then you have maple candy!)
6. Enjoy your syrup! The last step, of course, is to eat it. We’ve found that our syrup, using hardwoods to boil it down outside, takes on a different quality than the syrups you purchase from larger operations. Our syrup has a woody/smoky flavor to it that is so incredibly good, and so incredibly hard to describe. - Dana O’Driscoll (source)
A few other trees you can tap for sap are all the other maples and particularly, Black Maple, Silver and Red Maple, Birch (Betula lenta, B. alleghaniensis, B. papyrifera), Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis), and Black Walnut (Juglans nigra) and other Juglans species as well as Hickory(trees of the genus Carya). Though it should be noted that non-sugar maple species often require significantly more sap to make syrup (ranging from a ratio of 70/1 sap to syrup to upwards of 120/1 for some species like sycamore and hickory).
You can grow mushrooms from cut logs in fall or late winter, you can grow medicinals below them, you can have livestock graze them as well. Sometimes when I do my thinning of trees, it’s not for mushrooms rather for silvopasture. My goats relish the leaves, large and nutritious and since they cast such a deep shade it’s important to recognize their role in the pasture growth below in a savanna. Too much can slow undergrowth but too little the animals leave the forest for shade of their houses. I definitely leave some sugar maples here and there in my savanna’ even if I never intend to tap them because of the deep shade. Also, because again, they are a dynamic accumulator of calcium I like to leave them to help enrich the pasture with their leaf fall and mycorrhizzal fungi connection. This is also why in certain areas of the farm we mow the leaves of sugar maples and others like oaks into piles and use that extensively in our robust composting system
Other Uses:
The leaves are packed around apples, rootcrops etc to help preserve them. Wood - close grained, tough, hard, heavy, strong, not very durable, it takes a high polish, remains smooth under abrasion and has a high shock-resistance. It holds nails well, is fair in gluing, dries easily and shrinks moderately. The wood weighs 43lb per cubic foot. Considered by many to be the most valuable hardwood tree in N. America, the sugar maple is used for a wide range of applications including furniture, flooring, turnery, musical instruments and ship building. Accidental forms with the grain curled and contorted, known as curly maple and bird's eye maple, are common and are highly prized in cabinet making. The wood is also a very good fuel, giving off a lot of heat and forming very hot embers. The ashes of the wood are rich in alkali and yield large quantities of potash.
The wood is also often used for making instruments (Dana O’Driscoll has a beautiful panflute made of maple).
Seed Propagation:
Seed collection: Sugar maple (SM) seed matures in mid to late September in the northeast. SM seed is a two part winged samara or winged seed covering, produced in clusters at the ends of young twigs. Seed is wind dispersed from October through November. Collect seed from the tree after the leaves have changed color but before the seed has dispersed from the tree. Some sound seed can remain on the tree until early November. As SM seed matures it changes color from bright green to light brown. SM does not always produced a reliable seed crop every year. Large crops of seed are produced every 3 to 5 years with no seed or only a few seeds produce in the intervening years.
Seed handling: SM seed does not need any cleaning but the wings may be removed to reduce bulk. Many samaras will be empty due to unfertilized embryos. Percentage of sound seed can be checked by opening a representative sample of about 20 seeds or squeezing the samaras. seed with a live embryo will be hard and firm while empty seed will crush. Seed may be stored for 2 to 4 weeks dry before beginning stratification. Place seed in a moist stratification mix to maintain seed moisture levels. Cold/moist stratify seed for 2 to 3 months or fall plant. Best results occur from fall planting in prepared seed beds. Plant ½ to ¾” deep.
SEED PRETREATMENT: Soak seeds in water for 24 hours. Mix seeds with a moistened grow medium equal to 3-4 times seed volume. Place in a plastic bag, covered tray/cells or container.
STRATIFICATION: 120 days cold/moist (5°C). Place plastic bag with seeds and soil in your refrigerator, preferably in a veggie crisper. Inspect periodically for even moisture and early germination.
POST-STRATIFICATION: Sow stratified seeds 1/4” deep, ideally in a peat/perlite mix.
GERMINATION: Requires cold temperatures (5°C) to sprout. When all previously mentioned requirements are fulfilled, germination generally occurs in 30-60 days.
Propagation of Sugar Maple:
If you planted multiple in one container, when large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on until they are 20cm or more tall before planting them out in their permanent positions.
If you cannot put in her final position right away, once the seedling develops true leaves (the first set of mature leaves following the seedling stage), it’s time to move it to a larger pot. Outdoor Care:
Place the pot in an area where it will receive morning sunlight and afternoon shade.
Monitor soil moisture carefully, checking the soil twice a week.
Water the seedling enough to keep the soil slightly moist but allow excess water to drain to avoid waterlogging, which can lead to root rot.
You can also clone cuttings of young shoots in June or July. The cuttings should have 2 - 3 pairs of leaves, plus one pair of buds at the base. Remove a very thin slice of bark at the base of the cutting, rooting is improved if a rooting hormone is used. The rooted cuttings must show new growth during the summer before being potted up otherwise they are unlikely to survive the winter.
Cultivation details:
Initial Setup & Planting: Sugar maples thrive in deep, rich, moist, and well-drained living soil. They are best planted in early spring or autumn. Innoculating the seedlings roots with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) can improve growth rates and drought tolerance.
Protection (Years 1–3): Deer are a significant threat. Use blue tubes or tree shelters with rebar support to protect saplings. Adding hardware cloth or chicken wire to the top of tubes can prevent deer from browsing the tender tops as they emerge.
Watering & Mulching: While established trees are somewhat drought-tolerant, young trees require consistent water, especially during dry spells. A generous layer of organic mulch helps retain soil moisture and suppress competing plants.
For the first 3 years, keep the area around the base of the sapling free of competing vegetation to maximize nutrient uptake.
Growth Potential: By year 5, trees may stand 6 to 15 feet tall. By year 10, they typically reach 16–20 feet, with some faster really happy trees potentially reaching 30 feet, depending on conditions.
Succession Planting: You can integrate young maples into a mixed hardwood forest to increase biodiversity, using them to eventually replace or work alongside white pines.
Soil Management: Sugar maples prefer moist, well-drained, nutrient-rich soil. Note that they can be sensitive to non-acidic soils.
Maple Recipes
Recipes with Maple Water
Historically, maple sap was used as a braising liquid for meats and spring vegetables. The sap would be used instead of water, and it would slowly cook down and infuse into the meal.
I’m not talking cooking it down enough to make a syrup, just simmering food in sap until it was slightly concentrated and flavorful (but nowhere near syrup).
These days we tend to keep our savory and sweet flavors separate, but back in the day, it was incredibly popular to use sugar or honey when cooking meat. Some of those recipes are still around today in the form of mincemeat pie and honey-glazed ham.
Really anywhere you’d use water you can use maple sap in your cooking. Braising meats is one option, but maple sap also works well as a base for soup (like Thai, Indian or Mayan soups or butternut squash soup, for example).
I’m particularly fond of cooking carrots in maple sap and adding horseradish.
(It’s a mix of pine and root flavors, a bit like a kvass root beer. It’s quite enjoyable and nutritious. The method is a bit different, as the pine branches and spruce are not boiled. Of course, maple syrup is the source of sugar for this fermentation, and the wild yeast is from a dandelion flower starter.)
Birch beer is a traditional drink that’s made with birch sap (and twigs).
You can do the same thing with maple sap, but what to call it is a bit tricky. Some people just call it maple sap wine, others call it maple mead. Mead is a type of honey wine, and by substituting maple syrup in for the honey you can make mead with syrup (and sap) instead.
Making homemade beer with maple sap is fun too, just replace the water in the recipe with fresh maple sap for a unique flavor.
Where there’s wine, there’s bound to be vinegar. When acetic acid bacteria innoculate wine it’ll turn to vinegar over time, and you can speed the process along if that’s your goal.
To make maple vinegar, follow the same process you’d use for making fruit vinegar or homemade apple cider vinegar. You’ll need to add a good bit of maple syrup to bring the sugar levels up so that the vinegar will be strong enough to keep (very light vinegar can spoil, believe it or not).
You can also add a neutral spirit like vodka, which increases the alcohol level, and it’s the alcohol that’s converted to vinegar. Forager chef has a detailed recipe for maple sap vinegar that does just that, resulting in a mostly maple sap product without a lot of added maple syrup.
Maple Sap Marinade (or Salad Dressing)
Marinades are a great way to incorporate flavor into meat and vegetables, and sap makes a lovely marinade for all manner of delicious meals. It has a small amount of sugar, but plenty of maple flavor that goes a long way.
You can also add maple sap to salad dressings in the same way.
Maple Coffee or Tea
Maple sap can be used in any recipe that uses water for a slightly sweet, mineral boost. Making coffee or tea with maple sap is especially popular, as it adds a lot of flavors that complement the natural flavors in the drink already.
Simply replace the water in your coffee maker (or the water in your tea kettle) with maple sap.
It’s just one more fun way to use maple sap during the season, and it’s a special treat for a short while.
“Apple butter made from crab apples is tangy, sweet, thick and delicious. One of the best crab apple recipes I know, this is inspired by Sam Thayer's maple-apple spread. More than fancy apple sauce, this is a 100% foraged confection of wild apples and maple syrup. Today I'll walk you through the process of making and canning crab apple butter, from tree, to jar.” - Alan Bergo
Spiced Carrot Cake with Goji berries, Popped Hopi Red Amaranth Seeds and maple/hickory nut topping
“A rich, chewy fruit leather is one of my serviceberry recipes. It’s a traditional method of preserving the fruit, and has a subtle almond flavor to it that’s irresistible.”
“Sweet, nutty, with a kiss of citrus, black walnut maple sauce is an old-fashioned recipe perfect for serving on ice cream, with crepes, or soft cheese.” - Alan Bergo
Popped Amaranth Triple Berry Banana Bread (with maple sugar instead of brown sugar)
“At Owamni, I make a version of these baked beans with many Indigenous varieties. While most lima beans grow best in warm climates, the Potawatomi people in Wisconsin adapted this variety of lima bean, known as the Potawatomi pole bean, to grow well in our region. Over generations, they kept it safe so we can still enjoy it today, and I love these big, flat beans in this dish. Maple gives these baked beans that characteristic sweetness, but the addition of cedar (or you can substitute with balsam fir) gives them a beautiful, unexpected aroma. Growing up, we traditionally boiled cedar to help purify the air and to drink for tea. It’s high in vitamin C, so popular during cold season..
.. Northern white cedar and balsam fir grow prolifically in the Great Lakes, and I can usually harvest from both trees either in my own backyard or with a walk around my neighbourhood.
Cedar-maple baked beans are a staple at Sean Sherman’s James Beard Award-winning Minneapolis restaurant, Owamni. Photo by David Alvarado
SUNFLOWER SEED ‘RISOTTO’ WITH MAPLE-ROASTED SQUASH AND PRAIRIE PESTO
“It was surprising how simple and how wonderful it turned out to be, and being able to utilize a healthy, Indigenous product like that,” Sean Sherman says of his sunflower seed ‘risotto.’ Photo by David Alvarado
“A shrub is a syrup made of sweetened, fruit-infused vinegar. Although here we used blueberries, this Spicy Maple Shrub can be made with any seasonal fruit: the fresher the better. The Spicy Maple Shrub is sweet and hot, just like a perfect summer day, and would also make an excellent mocktail. Here’s how to make it!
Simmer 1 cup of apple cider vinegar, 1 cup of seasonal fruit, 1/3 cup of maple syrup, one cinnamon stick and ¼ teaspoon of red chili flakes for 10 minutes. Strain, cool and serve over ice, or with seltzer. Garnish with more fruit.”
I hope you enjoyed this article and feel empowered to be able to take steps heal, protect and optimize your health through foraging and/or cultivating your own medicine at home. If you feel this post would resonate with and/or benefit those in your circles feel free to share.
This Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. All Annual Paid Subscriptions and Founding Member Paid Subscriptions will include the bonus of one digital copy of Stacking Functions in the Garden, Food Forest and Medicine Cabinet : The Regenerative Way From Seed To Apothecary at the time of its completion (along with the other paid subscription perks described in this post).
Arshad S., Rehman T., Saif S., Shahid M., Rajoka R., Modassar M., Ranjha A.N., et al. Replacement of refined sugar by natural sweeteners: focus on potential health benefits. Heliyon. 2022;8 doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e10711. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Mohammed F., Warland J., Guillaume D. A comprehensive review on analytical techniques to detect adulteration of maple syrup. Microchem. J. 2021;164 doi: 10.1016/j.microc.2021.105969. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
Liu Y., Rose K.N., DaSilva N.A., Johnson S.L., Seeram N.P. Isolation, identification, and biological evaluation of phenolic compounds from the traditional north american confectionery, maple sugar. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2017;65:4289–4295. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.7b01969. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Mohammed F., Sibley P., Guillaume D., Abdulwali N. Chemical composition and mineralogical residence of maple syrup: a comprehensive review. Food Chem. 2021;374 doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.131817. https://doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.131817 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Saraiva A., Carrascosa C., Ramos F., Raheem D., Lopes M., Raposo A. Maple syrup: chemical analysis and nutritional profile, health impacts, safety and quality control, and food industry applications. Int. J. Environ. Res. Publ. Health. 2022;19 doi: 10.3390/ijerph192013684. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Gad H.A., Ramadan M.F., Farag M.A. Authentication and quality control determination of maple syrup: a comprehensive review. J. Food Compos. Anal. 2021;100 doi: 10.1016/j.jfca.2021.103901. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
Nimalaratne C., Blackburn J., Lada R.R. A comparative physicochemical analysis of maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) syrup produced in North America with special emphasis on seasonal changes in Nova Scotia maple syrup composition. J. Food Compos. Anal. 2020;92 doi: 10.1016/j.jfca.2020.103573. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
Perkins T.D., van den Berg A.K. Chapter 4 maple syrup—production, composition, chemistry, and sensory characteristics. Adv. Food Nutr. Res. 2009;56:101–143. doi: 10.1016/S1043-4526(08)00604-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Ball D.W. The chemical composition of maple syrup. J. Chem. Educ. 2007;84:1647–1650. doi: 10.1021/ed084p1647. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
Rose K.N., Barlock B.J., DaSilva N.A., Johnson S.L., Chang L.C., et al. Anti-neuroinflammatory effects of a food-grade phenolic-enriched maple syrup extract in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. Nutr. Neurosci. 2019;24:710–719. doi: 10.1080/1028415X.2019.1672009. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Rawla P., Sunkara T., Muralidharan P., Raj J.P. Update in global trends and aetiology of hepatocellular carcinoma. Contemp. Oncol. 2018;22:141–150. doi: 10.5114/wo.2018.78941. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Liu W., Wei Z., Ma H., Liu A.C.Y., Sun J., DaSilva N.A., et al. Anti-glycation and anti-oxidative effects of a phenolic-enriched maple syrup extract and its protective effects on normal human colon cells. Food Funct. 2017;8:757–766. doi: 10.1039/C6FO01360K. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Zhang Y., Yuan T., Li L., Nahar P., Slitt A., Seeram N.P. Chemical compositional, biological, and safety studies of a novel maple syrup derived extract for nutraceutical applications. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2014;62:6687–6698. doi: 10.1021/jf501924y. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Thériault M., Caillet S., Kermasha S., Lacroix M. Antioxidant, antiradical and antimutagenic activities of phenolic compounds present in maple products. Food Chem. 2006;98(3):490–501. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2005.05.079. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
Freeland-Graves J.H., Nitzke S. Position of the academy of nutrition and dietetics: total diet approach to healthy eating. J. Acad. Nutr. Diet. 2013;113:307–317. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2012.12.013. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Phillips K., Carlsen M., Blomhoff R. Total antioxidant content of alternatives to refined sugar. J. Am. Diet Assoc. 2009;109:64–71. doi: 10.1016/j.jada.2008.10.014. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Morselli M.F. Nutritional value of pure maple syrup. Nat. Maple Syrup Dig. 1975;14:12. [Google Scholar]
Stuckel J.G., Low N.H. The chemical composition of 80 pure maple syrup samples produced in North America. Food Res. Int. 1996;29:373–379. doi: 10.1016/0963-9969(96)00000-2. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
Perkins T.D., Morselli M.F., van den Berg A.K., Wilmot T.R. In: ‘‘North American Maple Syrup ProducersManual,’’. Heiligmann R.B., Koelling M.R., Perkins T.D., editors. Ohio State University; 2006. Maple chemistry and quality. Appendix 2. (Ohio State University Extension Bulletin 856). [Google Scholar]
Heinsohn R.J., Cimballa J. Taylor & Francis, Technology & Engineering; 2003. Indoor Air Quality Engineering: Environmental Health and Control of Indoor Pollutants; p. 920. [Google Scholar]
David Julian McClements D.J., Grossmann L. The science of plant-based foods: constructing next-generation meat, fish, milk, and egg analogs. Compr. Rev. Food Sci. Food Saf. 2021;20:4049–4100. doi: 10.1111/1541-4337.12771. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Mathias D. Fit and Healthy from 1 to 100 with Nutrition and Exercise. Springer; Berlin, Heidelberg: 2022. Energy consumption III—performance output. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
Sato K., Yamamoto T., Mitamura K/Taga A. Identification of a novel oligosaccharide in maple syrup as a potential alternative saccharide for diabetes mellitus patients. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2019;20:1–13. doi: 10.3390/ijms20205041. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Sun J., Ma H., Seeram N.P., Rowley D.C. Detection of inulin, a prebiotic polysaccharide, in maple syrup. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2016;64:7142–7147. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.6b03139. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Sato K., Yamamoto T., Mitamura K., Taga A Separation of fructosyl oligosaccharides in maple syrup by using charged aerosol detection. Foods. 2021;10:3160. doi: 10.3390/foods10123160. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Filipic V.J., Underwood J.C., Dooley C.J. Trace components of the flavor fraction of maple syrup. J. Food Sci. 1969;34:105–110. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2621.1969.tb00897.x. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
Kallio H. In: Comparison and Characteristics of Aroma Compounds from Maple and Birch Syrup. Proceedings, 5th International Flavor Conference. Charalambos G., editor. Elsevier; Amsterdam: 1988. pp. 241–248. [Google Scholar]
Li L., Seeram N.P. Maple syrup phytochemicals include lignans, coumarins, a stilbene, and other previously unreported antioxidant phenolic compounds. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2010;58:11673–11679. doi: 10.1021/jf1033398. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Watanabe Y., Kamei A., Shinozaki F., Ishijima T., Iida K., Nakai Y., Arai S., Abe K. Ingested maple syrup evokes a possible liver-protecting effect physiologic and genomic investigations with rats. Biosci. Biotechnol. Biochem. 2011;75:2408–2410. doi: 10.1271/bbb.110532. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Subash S., Subramanian P. Effect of morin on the levels of circulatory liver markers and redox status in experimental chronic hyperammonaemic rats. Singap. Med. J. 2008;49:650–655. PMID: 18756351. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Toyoda T., Iida K., Ishijima T., Abea K., Okadaa S., Nakaia Y. A maple syrup extract alleviates liver injury in type 2 diabetic model mice. Nutr. Res. 2020;73:97–101. doi: 10.1016/j.nutres.2019.10.006. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Nagai N., Ito Y., Taga A. Comparison of the enhancement of plasma glucose levels in type 2 diabetes Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty rats by oral administration of sucrose or maple syrup. J. Oleo Sci. 2013;62:737–743. doi: 10.5650/jos.62.737. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Kamei A., Watanabe Y., Shinozaki F., Yasuoka A., Kondo T., Ishijima T., Toyoda T., Arai S., Abe K. Administration of a maple syrup extract to mitigate their hepatic inflammation induced by a high-fat diet: a transcriptome analysis. Biosci., Biotechnol., Biochem. 2015;79:1893–1897. doi: 10.1080/09168451.2015.1042833. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Kamei A., Watanabe Y., Shinozaki F., Yasuoka A., Shimada K., et al. Quantitative deviating effects of maple syrup extract supplementation on the hepatic gene expression of mice fed a high-fat diet. Mol. Nutr. Food Res. 2017;61:1–56. doi: 10.1002/mnfr.201600477. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Toyoda T., Kamei A., Ishijima T., Abe K., Okada S. A maple syrup extract alters lipid metabolism in obese type 2 diabetic model mice. Nutr. Metabol. 2019;16:1–8. doi: 10.1186/s12986-019-0403-2. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
St-Pierre P., Pilon G., Dumais V., Dion C., Dubois M.J., Dubé P., Desjardins Y., Aarette A. Comparative analysis of maple syrup to other natural sweeteners and evaluation of their metabolic responses in healthy rats. J. Funct.Foods. 2014;11:460–471. doi: 10.1016/j.jff.2014.10.001. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
Bruzzone S., Ameri P., Briatore L., Mannino E., Basile G., Andraghetti G., et al. The plant hormone abscisic acid increases in human plasma after hyperglycemia and stimulates glucose consumption by adipocytes and myoblasts. Faseb. J. 2012;26:1251–1260. doi: 10.1096/fj.11-190140. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Edwards C.H., Rossi M., Corpe C.P., Peter J., Butterworth P.J., Ellis P.R. The role of sugars and sweeteners in food, diet and health: alternatives for the future. Trends Food Sci. Technol. 2016;56:158–166. doi: 10.1016/j.tifs.2016.07.008. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
Valle M., St-Pierre P., Pilon G., Marette A. Differential effects of chronic ingestion of refined sugars versus natural sweeteners on insulin resistance and hepatic steatosis in a rat model of diet-induced obesity. Nutrients. 2020;12:2292. doi: 10.3390/nu12082292. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Guri A.J., Hontecillas R., Si H., Liu D., Bassaganya-Riera J. Dietary abscisic acid ameliorates glucose tolerance and obesity-related inflammation in db/db mice fed high-fat diets. Clin. Nutr. 2007;26:107–116. doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2006.07.008. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Lavoie L., Tremblay J. Ingestion of maple-based and other carbohydrate sports drinks: effect on sensory perceptions during prolonged exercise. Sports Nutr. Rev. J. 2020;17:2–6. doi: 10.1186/s12970-020-00384-3. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Hernández-Carlos B. Antioxidant compounds and their antioxidant mechanism. Intechopen. 2019 doi: 10.5772/intechopen.85270. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
Abou-Zaid M.M., Nozzolillo C., Tonon A., Coppens M., Lombardo D.A. High-performance liquid chromatography characterization and identification of antioxidant polyphenols in maple syrup. Pharmaceut. Biol. 2008;46:117–125. doi: 10.1080/13880200701735031. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
Nahar P.P., Driscoll M.V., Li L., Slitt A.L., Seeram N.P. Phenolic mediated anti-inflammatory properties of a maple syrup extract in RAW 264.7 murine macrophages. J. Funct.Foods. 2014;6:126–136. doi: 10.1016/j.jff.2013.09.026. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
Maisuria V.B., Hosseinidoust Z., Tufenkji N. Polyphenolic extract from maple syrup potentiates antibiotic susceptibility and reduces biofilm formation of pathogenic bacteria. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 2015;8:3782–3792. doi: 10.1128/AEM.00239-15. https://10.1128/AEM.01341-20 10.1128/AEM.00239-15 and correction Appl Environ Microbiol. 2020. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Cardinal S., Azelmat J., Grenier D., Voyer N. Anti-inflammatory properties of quebecol and its derivatives. Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. 2016;26:440–444. doi: 10.1016/j.bmcl.2015.11.096. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
González-Sarrías A., Li L., Seeram N.P. Anticancer effects of maple syrup phenolics and extracts on proliferation, apoptosis, and cell cycle arrest of human colon cells. J. Funct.Foods. 2012;4:185–196. doi: 10.1016/j.jff.2011.10.004. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Özden P., Avcı E., Vural H. Survey of the apoptotic effect of ginnalin A on Hep3b human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line. Proceedings. 2017;1:1064. doi: 10.3390/proceedings1101064. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
Aaron C., Beaudry G., Parker J.A., Therrien M. Maple syrup decreases TDP-43 proteotoxicity in a Caenorhabditis elegans model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) J. Agric. Food Chem. 2016;64:3338–3344. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.5b05432. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Bruzzone S., Bodrato N., Usai C., Guida L., Moreschi I., Nano R., et al. Abscisic acid is an endogenous stimulator of insulin release from human pancreatic islets with cyclic ADP ribose as second messenger. J. Biol. Chem. 2008;283:32188–32197. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M802603200. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Legault J., Girard-Lalancette K., Grenon C., Dussault C., Pichette A. Antioxidant activity, inhibition of nitricoxide overproduction, and in vitro antiproliferative effect of maple sap and syrup from Acer saccharum. J. Med. Food. 2010;13:460–468. doi: 10.1089/jmf.2009.0029. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Li L., Seeram N.P. Further investigation into maple syrup yields 3 new lignans, a new phenylpropanoid, and 26 other phytochemicals. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2011;59:7708–7716. doi: 10.1021/jf2011613. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Ma H., DaSilva N.A., Liu W., Nahar P.P., Wei Z., et al. Effects of a standardized phenolic-enriched maple syrup extract on β-amyloid aggregation, neuroinflammation in microglial and neuronal cells, and β-amyloid induced neurotoxicity in Caenorhabditis elegans. Neurochem. Res. 2016;41:2836–2847. doi: 10.1007/s11064-016-1998-6. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Zhong L.M., Sun L., Guo J.Z., Zhang W., He Y., Song R., Wang W.M., Xiao C.J., Lu D. Resveratrol inhibits inflammatory responses via the mammalian target of rapamycin signaling pathway in cultured LPS-stimulated microglial cells. PLoS One. 2012;7:1–12. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0032195. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Sheng J., Liu C., Petrovas S., Wan Y., Chen H.D., Seeram N.P., Ma H. Phenolic-enriched maple syrup extract protects human keratinocytes against hydrogen peroxide and methylglyoxal induced cytotoxicity. Dermatol. Ther. 2020;33:1–6. doi: 10.1111/dth.13426. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Li L., Seeram N.P. Quebecol, a novel phenolic compound isolated from Canadian maple syrup. J. Funct.Foods. 2011;3:125–128. doi: 10.1016/j.jff.2011.02.004. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
Singh A.S., Jones A.M.P., Saxena P.K. Variation and correlation of properties in different grades of maple syrup. Plant Foods Hum. Nutr. 2014;69:50–56. doi: 10.1007/s11130-013-0401-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
González-Sarrías A., Ma H., Edmonds M.E., Seeram N.P. Maple polyphenols, ginnalins A–C, induce S- and G2/M-cell cycle arrest in colon and breast cancer cells mediated by decreasing cyclins A and D1 levels. Food Chem. 2013;136:15 636–642. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2012.08.023. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Yamamoto T., Uemura K., Moriyama K., Mitamura K., Taga A. Inhibitory effect of maple syrup on the cell growth and invasion of human colorectal cancer cells. Oncol. Rep. 2015;33:1579–1584. doi: 10.3892/or.2015.3777. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Yamamoto T., Sato K., Kubota Y., Mitamura K., Taga A Effect of dark-colored maple syrup on cell proliferation of human gastrointestinal cancer cell. Biomedical Reports. 2017;7:6–10. doi: 10.3892/br.2017.910. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
N Tran, Pham B., Le L. Bioactive compounds in anti-diabetic plants: from herbal medicine to modern drug discovery. Biology. 2020;9:1–32. doi: 10.3390/biology9090252. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Apostolidis E., Li L., Lee C., Seeram N.P. In vitro evaluation of phenolic-enriched maple syrup extracts for inhibition of carbohydrate hydrolyzing enzymes relevant to type 2 diabetes management. J. Funct.Foods. 2011;3:100–106. doi: 10.1016/j.jff.2011.03.003. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
Nagai N., Yamamoto T., Tanabe W., Ito Y., Kurabuchi S., Mitamura K., Taga A. Changes in plasma glucose in Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima fatty rats after oral administration of maple syrup. J. Oleo Sci. 2015;64:331–335. doi: 10.5650/jos.ess14075. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Andrade S., Ramalho M.J., Loureiro J.A., Pereira MdoC. Natural compounds for alzheimer’s disease therapy: a systematic review of preclinical and clinical studies. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2019;20:1–41. doi: 10.3390/ijms20092313. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Hawco C.L., Wang Y., Taylor M., Weaver D.F. A maple syrup extract prevents β-amyloid aggregation. Can. J. Neurol. Sci. 2016;43:198–201. doi: 10.1017/cjn.2015.270. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Selkoe D.J., Hardy J. The amyloid hypothesis of Alzheimer’s disease at 25 years. EMBO Mol. Med. 2016;8:595–608. doi: 10.15252/emmm.201606210. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Makhafola T.J., Elgorashi E.E., McGaw L.J., Verschaeve L., Eloff J.N. The correlation between antimutagenic activity and total phenolic content of extracts of 31 plant species with high antioxidant activity. BMC Compl. Alternative Med. 2016;16:1–13. doi: 10.1186/s12906-016-1437-x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Kaur I.P., Saini A. Sesamol exhibits antimutagenic activity against oxygen species mediated mutagenicity. Mutat. Res. Genet. Toxicol. Environ. Mutagen. 2000;470:71–76. doi: 10.1016/S1383-5718(00)00096-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Unno T. Antioxidant activity of different grades of maple syrup as determined by the hydrophilic oxygen radical absorbance capacity method. Food Sci. Technol. Res. 2015;21 doi: 10.3136/fstr.21.495. 495_498. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
Bhatta S., Ratti C., Stevanovic T. Impact of drying processes on properties of polyphenol-enriched maple sugar powders. Food Sci. Technol. Res. 2019;21:495–498. doi: 10.1111/jfpe.13239. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
Karakaya S. Bioavailability of phenolic compounds. Crit. Rev. Food Sci. Nutr. 2010;44:453–464. doi: 10.1080/10408690490886683. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Bruno R.S., Neilson A.P., Lambert J.D., Moustaid-Moussa N. Polyphenols, obesity, and cardiometabolic health. JNB (J. Nutr. Biochem.) 2021;89 doi: 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2020.108565. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Scalbert A., Williamson G. Dietary intake and bioavailability of polyphenols. The Journal of Nutrition. 2000;130:2073S–2085S. doi: 10.1093/jn/130.8.2073S. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Rechner A.R., Spencer J., P.E, Kuhnle G., U Hahn, Rice-Evans C.A. Novel biomarkers of the metabolism of caffeic acid derivatives in vivo. Free Radic. Biol. Med. 2001;30:1213–1222. doi: 10.1016/S0891-5849(01)00506-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Olthof M.R., Hollman P.C.H., Katan M.B. Chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid are absorbed in humans. The Journal of Nutrition. 2001;131:66–71. doi: 10.1093/jn/131.1.66. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Rondini L., Peyrat-Maillard M.N., Marsset-Baglieri A., Berset C. Sulfated ferulic acid is the main in vivo metabolite found after short-term ingestion of free ferulic acid in rats. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2002;50:3037–3041. doi: 10.1021/jf011295i. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Adam A., Crespy V., Levrat-Verny M.A., Leenhardt F., Leuillet M., Demign′e C., R′em′esy C. The bioavailability of ferulic acid is governed primarily by the food matrix rather than its metabolism in intestine and liver in rats. The Journal of Nutrition. 2002;132:1962–1968. doi: 10.1093/jn/132.7.1962. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Hollman P.C.H., van Trijp J.M.P., Buysman M.N.C.P., v.d, Gaag M.S., Mengelers M.J.B., de Vries J.H.M., Katan M.B. Relative bioavailability of the antioxidant flavonoid quercetin from various foods in man. FEBS (Fed. Eur. Biochem. Soc.) Lett. 1997;418:152–156. doi: 10.1016/S0014-5793(97)01367-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Gee J.M., DuPont S., Day A.J., Plumb G.W., Williamson G., Johnson I.T. Intestinal transport of quercetin glycosides in rats involves both deglycosylation and interaction with the hexose transport pathway. The Journal of Nutrition. 2000;130:2765–2771. doi: 10.1093/jn/130.11.2765. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Hollman P.C.H., Arts I., Flavonols C.W. flavones, and flavanols Nature, occurrence, and dietary burden. J. Sci. Food Agric. 2000;80:1081–1093. [Google Scholar]
Hollman P.C.H. Evidence for health benefits of plant phenols: local or systemic effects. J. Sci. Food Agric. 2001;81:842–852. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1097-0010. 20000515)80:7. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
Murota K., Shimizu S., Miyamoto S., Izumi T., Obata A., Kikuchi M., Terao J. Unique uptake and transport of isoflavone aglycones by human intestinal Caco-2 cells: comparison of isoflavones and flavonoids. The Journal of Nutrition. 2002;132:1956–1961. doi: 10.1093/jn/132.7.1956. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Manach C., Texier O., Morand C., Crespy V., Regerat F., D′emign′e C., R′em′esy C Comparison of the bioavailability of quercetin and catechin in rats. Free Radic. Biol. Med. 1999;27:1259–1266. doi: 10.1016/S0891-5849(99)00159-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Suárez M., Valls R.M., Romero M.P., Macià A., Fernández S., Giralt M., Solà R., Motilva M.J. Bioavailability of phenols from a phenol-enriched olive oil. Br. J. Nutr. 2011;106:1691–1701. doi: 10.1017/S0007114511002200. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
Minatel I.O., Borges C.V., Ferreira M.I., Gomez H.A.G., Chen C.Y.O., Lima G.P.P. IntechOpen Book Series; 2016. Phenolic Compounds: Functional Properties, Impact of Processing and Bioavailability. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
Belford A.L., Lindsay R.C., Ridley S.C. Contributions of selected flavor compounds to the sensory properties of maple syrup. J. Sensory Stud. 1991;6:101–118. doi: 10.1111/j.1745-459X.1991.tb00506.x. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
Sair L., Sne J.F. Fractionation of the chloroform extract of maple syrup. Can. J. Res. 1939;17:281–289. doi: 10.1139/cjr39b-039. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
Underwood J.C., Willits C.O., Lento H.G., Maple Sirup X.V.I. Isolation and identification of compounds contributing to the flavor of maple sirup. J. Food Sci. 1961;26:288–290. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2621.1961.tb01656.x. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
Underwood J.C., Filipic V.J. Gas chromatographic identification of components in maple sirup flavor extract. J. Assoc. Off. Agric. Chem. 1963;46:334–337. doi: 10.1093/jaoac/46.2.334. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
Filipic V.J., Underwood J.C., Willits C.O. The identification of methylcyclopentenolone and other compounds in maple sirup flavor extract. J. Food Sci. 1965;30:1008–1015. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2621.1965.tb01878.x. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
Alli I., Bourque J., Metusin R., Liang R., Yaylayan V. Identification of pyrazines in maple syrup. J. Agric. Food Chem. 1990;38:1242–1244. doi: 10.1021/jf00095a019. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
Sabik H., Fortin J., Martin N. Identification of pyrazine derivatives in atypical maple syrup using headspace solid-phase microextraction with gaschromatography–mass spectrometry. Food Chem. 2012;133:1006–1010. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2011.07.132. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
As a 5th generation Maple producer, this was a great article to read. I'm even more excited to get tapping.
Thank you. The quality and depth of your innovative, meaningful, spiritual, and insightful work continues to astound me.