We always carrying a good supply of local Ohio maple syrup on the farm. Our supplier is Misty Maples Sugar House (out of Salem, Ohio, right down the road from us). Here are a few fun facts about maple syrup and a few recipes if you’re looking to use it for things other than pouring over pancakes.
-
Maple syrup has more calcium than milk.
-
Grades of maple syrup indicate color and flavor, not quality: Grade A is lighter and milder than grade B.
-
Sap becomes maple syrup when it reaches 7 ½ degrees above the boiling point of water. At that point, it is 67% sugar.
-
Maple syrup is boiled even further to produce maple cream, maple sugar, and maple candy.
-
Usually a maple tree is at least 30 years old and 12 inches in diameter before it is tapped.
-
As the tree increases in diameter, more taps can be added – up to a maximum of 4 taps.
-
Tapping does no permanent damage and only 10% of the sap is collected every year. Many maple trees have been tapped for 150 years or more.
-
Each tap will yield an average of 10 gallons of sap per season, producing about one quart of syrup.
-
It takes 40 gallons of tree sap to make 1 gallon of maple syrup.
-
The maple season may last 8 to 10 weeks, but sap flow is heaviest for about 10-20 days in early spring.
Ingredients
¾ cup orange juice
¼ cup dry white wine
½ cup maple syrup
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
½ tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Bring orange juice, wine, and maple syrup to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened, about 8 minutes, stirring constantly. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Coat large nonstick pan with cooking spray. Sauté chicken over medium heat until lightly browned (about 5 minutes per side). Pour orange-maple mixture over chicken. Reduce heat, cover, and cook until chicken is done, about 10 minutes. Spoon glaze over chicken and serve.
