CREDIT: Photo State of Michigan

Cool facts about maple syrup

• You can collect maple sap from any maple tree, but the largest production happens in the Northeast and Woodlands areas of the United States and Canada.
• Four species of maple are good sap producers. The sugar maple or hard maple, (Acer saccharum) is the sweetest. Other species, like red maple (Acer rubrum), silver maple (Acer saccharinum), and boxelder (Acer negundo) can also be used.
• On average, sap is 2% sugar. At that concentration, you need forty-three gallons of sap to produce one gallon of syrup.
• After cooking the syrup, Ojibwe would ladle some out onto the snow for the children, creating a sort of ice cream.

CREDIT: Science Museum of Minnesota

Want to learn more?

An account of traditional sugaring in the 1800s, as told by an Ojibwe woman.

A more recent first-person account, written by a member of the Ojibwe.

The Michigan Maple Syrup Association, with information on history and supplies, and activities for kids.

How to identify maple trees

Instructions for homemade maple syrup

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