"pancake syrup" makes me angry

[bicentennial_baby]

Maybe it's b/c I'm from New England. Maybe it's because my family and friends' families used to or currently produce REAL MAPLE SYRUP.

I just can't stand it. HFCS laden crap, all of it. You'll never find it in my cabinets. Ever.

/rant over

:)

[hippywife]

1. We don't buy it, either.

Talk about a blood sugar spike! So it ends up making me angry...literally. LOL

[bicentennial_baby]

2. I'm about to send a pint to another DUer

b/c I found out she was using the fake stuff. The horror!

Luckily, I happen to have an unopened pint of certified organic syrup in the kitchen right now. I can get more, my best friend's parents run a big operation back home. :)

[hippywife]

8. Lucky you!

We do bite the bullet and buy the certified organic in the store. And, everyone is right, there is no going back. The other stuff is told out for the nasty crap it really is.

[Lucinda]

3. Yup. Once I tasted the real stuff that was it for me.

There was no going back... :)

[bicentennial_baby]

4. They are nothing alike, at all

It's bizarre. I feel bad for people that don't have access to real syrup. Seriously.

[Lucinda]

9. Yup. And now I'm craving maple.

I'm sooooo suggestible. :D
I nice homemade maple glazed doughnut would rock right about now.

[Warpy]

5. Even at my poorest, I insisted on the real thing

because, as a New Englander, I knew the difference. I tried making my own brown sugar and vanilla syrup and it was thick and sweet, but I really wanted the flavor of MAPLE and even with an essential oil, it just wasn't the same.

A quart of maple syrup at Costco was a $16.00 investment, but it would last me a couple of years if I used it very sparingly on pancakes and roasted veggies. Once in a blue moon, one of the local health food stores would get a can of grade B, my favorite, and I'd get a pint or so and forget about the piece of fish that month.

Maple syrup, for those of you who don't know about it, isn't the kind that sits on top of a pancake. It's runny and it soaks in. There's just no substitute for the real thing.

I did try that commercial stuff once, many years ago. It was like that brown glue they make out of old horses.

[bicentennial_baby]

6. I only had it once, when I moved to Pittsburgh

I spent the next two years abstaining. Ugh.

The price is HIGH this year! Half gallon will run you about $45. Wow.

[Warpy]

7. I know, I still have half a quart

of Grade A plus a "heel tap" of Grade B. That should get me through until next year.

If it's still ridiculously expensive next year, I'll just have to bite the bullet. There really is no substitute.

[housewolf]

11. I'm a Grade B fan too...

Love the intense flavor and complexity of it. I'm not a New Englander, but I'm still a fan of real maple syrup... my mom raised me right! I use it very sparingly but oh! what a treat!

[elleng]

31. Grade B, Dark, is for me!

Fortunately its just me at the moment, so 1 small bottle occasionally is ok.

I hope folks here know that its possible to buy small amounts, like 8.5 oz, at regular grocery stores, any time. I've got a 'store brand' pure Canadian Maple Syrup. Sorry I don't recall how much it cost, but its a few bucks. And this one is U.S. Grade A Medium Amber.

I understand that there may be a shortage coming, due to conditions (I fergit which) so I may pick up a few 'affordable' bottles soon.

[TreasonousBastard]

10. You wouldn't be so angry if...

you were diabetic and knew what pure maple syrup does to your body. Not quite as bad at spiking as HFCS, but a whole lotta simple carbs in that stuff.

You might be a bit pissed at having to give it up, though. Almost as pissed as giving up pancakes as a regular breakfast.

Some of us aren't exactly happy, but mildly grateful that there are those 0 carb syrups out there-- nasty stuff themselves, but at least they won't kill us.

(You really start to appreciate non-sugared fruit toppings for the occasional pancake.)

[ginnyinWI]

14. a good alternative to syrup--

applesauce or yogurt or even cottage cheese. Cuts the carbs down a lot.

[TreasonousBastard]

20. I usually use sour cream instead of butter on...

the pancakes, but not for any particular health or dietary reasons-- I just like the stuff. I use yogurt in the batter, where it replaces some of the flour.

Lots of fruit is also a no-no, so I'm kinda stuck with the aspartame or Splenda-laden syrups if I want sweetness.

(The pancakes themselves are bad enough with carbs)

[troubleinwinter]

26. You've done it now!

OMG! Sour Cream!!!! Next time I have pancakes, they SHALL have sour cream (and a little jam).

[ginnyinWI]

29. or how about

Two four-inch pancakes,
half a banana (4 oz.),sliced,
1-2 tsp. margarine
and 1 T. regular maple syrup.
Total= 3 carb servings.

I think I'd rather have only a little of the real stuff than more of the artificially sweetened stuff. Aspartame gives me side effects, and although I like Splenda in hot tea, I don't know about a sugar free syrup. Doesn't it taste like chemicals?

A 1 T. serving of maple syrup has 13 grams carbs. A T. is not much, but it's a taste.

[TreasonousBastard]

30. Well, the thing about a tablespoon of syrup...

is that I'd rather have none at all if I can't really pour it on there. And what would I do with that other half of the banana?

Long ago I just gave up on some real favorites like tapiocoa and rice puddings, or rice dishes in general, simply because the tablespoon, or third of a cup, or whatever other miniscule amount just made it silly to even bother with the stuff. Giving up high sugared syrup and other carb-laden things is light action compared to what a lot of other people have to deal with-- including not having much food at all, like half the world seems to be troubled with.

(I do use real maple syrup as a "secret ingredient" in some cooking or baking where it's for others and it's easier to resist the temptation to wolf down a dozen muffins or a whole fruit pie-- at such times only the best will do.)

[cbayer]

12. I agree, but the real thing is really expensive.

I don't use much, so I can justify buying a small bottle for occasional use. But if you have a bunch of kids who just love waffles and pancakes with lots of syrup, you could be talking big bucks in a short time.

:hi:

[hippywife]

15. Unfortunately if you don't

you can be setting your kids on the path to obesity and type II diabetes. Pancake and waffle syrup in the stores are some of the worse things to be introducing into a child's diet. It's very sad that so many kids are being fed this crap.

[Stinky The Clown]

13. Right there with ya, kiddo

Real maple is the only thing in our house ..... well .... sorta. When SparklyJr was here, she actually **preferred** the ersatz stuff and simply will not eat the real thing. :shrug:

[housewolf]

21. Your story about Sparkly Jr. reminds me of when my sister was in high school

and actually preferred margarine over real butter! I couldn't believe it.

Now, as an adult, she's weaned hersef off butterfat to non-fat milk & I Can't Believe it's not Butter... but still needs half & half for her coffee.

As for me... give me the real stuff. Real butter. Whole milk. Real maple syrup.

[Vinca]

16. Fake maple syrup is horrible and the sugar-free kind could strip paint off furniture. nt

[Tab]

17. I'm from New England too

Originally, when my parents were starting out and limited in funds and time, I grew up with Vermont Maid syrup, which is sort of a fake Grade B syrup, and not even made in Vermont, for chrissake. Mrs. Butterworth's is not any better.

During sugaring time, we'd go out to sugarhouses and get Sugar on Snow if the snow was fresh. They usually put Grade A on it, and that's what I got to like.

(if you're not from New England, or at least not familiar (not meaning you, BCB), Grade A is thinner, clearer, sort of brighter. Grade B is more concentrated, darker, heavier. Most of the crap you find in the stores (excluding from a local sugarhouse) is grade B-style. One is not necessarily better than the other - it's a matter of personal preference - but having been exposed to the Grade A, that's what I personally get whenever possible. Some prefer the thicker Grade B, which is fine, because that's more Grade A for ME).

Grade A - or even B - from a real sugarhouse is not cheap, and even more so now that there aren't as many producers. On the bright side, if you have pancakes or waffles or whatever, rarely, a jar - even a pint - can last a winter, if not a year or more.

If you want to order some real stuff, McClure's (<click there) is from Northern NH, and we tend to use it, unless we buy stuff from some local sugarhouse.

I grew up in Vermont, so I'm partial to Vermont syrup, although honestly they're pretty much the same.

So, if you want, you can go to that link and order yerself some real maple syrup.

- Tab

(on edit: screwed up the link)

[Tab]

19. Actually, I wasn't totally specific

There are different grades of A, from light to darker, and then B, but still the crap you get in stores is still mainly B. I just wanted to make sure I didn't imply all Grade A is dark. The kind I have is the light-grade, but you can also get a medium and darker grade before moving to grade B.

I think the light-grade is also called "fancy", but I'd have to haul out my bottle to be sure. At any rate, look for "light amber" if you want the lightest kind. To my knowledge there is no "Grade B light amber", just Grade B period. And nothing below that. If there was, it'd probably be like molasses.

[housewolf]

22. At 40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup... no wonder it's so expensive!

I was more than a little surprised when I learned that tidbit. Real maple syrup is a treasure, in my house. To be used sparingly but heartily enjoyed. It's expensive... yes, but compared to the price of a good jar of jam or preserves at $4-$6 per jar, or the price of meat these days... I don't mind buying a quart once or twice a year. But then, I don't eat pancakes and waffles every day... unless I get on a pancake or waffle "kick" for a few days every few months or so.

[Tab]

28. It's not just that it's 40 gallons

But it takes days to reduce that all down. If you've ever been to a sugarhouse, you'll see they have a huge evaporator with staged pans. The sap goes in one end, the whole thing is headed (traditionally with wood, although that may not be the case anymore in some places), and as it reduces it goes into the next pan where it reduces more and into the next pan and so on. If I remember correctly, there's usually four or five pans.

They have to work day and night (taking shifts) because you can't easily just stop the process and they have a limited amount of time until the sap runs out. So it's a ton of work and time in a short time frame, and you can have only so many trees so you can only have so much sap, and so they can only make so much, which is why they charge what they do - it's a huge process with limited inventory.

Of course, places like "Vermont Maid" or "Mrs Butterworth" aren't go to screw around with days of product and gallons upon gallons of source once a year, which is why that stuff is just high-fructose corn syrup with "maple flavoring".

But the real stuff is only able to be made once a year, and it's a lot of work to do so, and they are limited, naturally, by what they can produce.

Fortunately, it lasts a long time unless you use it every day.

[bicentennial_baby]

24. I get it from here:

http://www.blueheronfarm.com/maple.htm

My best friend's parents own the farm. :)

[bicentennial_baby]

33. I forgot to mention...I LOVE sugar on snow!

I was telling Sniffa all about it today. We used to tap the maple trees on my parents' property and make it in the winter. Ahhh, what fun. :D

:pals:

[grasswire]

18. Jam -- it's not just for toast anymore

A lovely addition to pancakes and waffles.

Boysenberry, blackberry, strawberry, raspberry -- whichever! I used to prefer it to any kind of syrup when I could eat pancakes.

[troubleinwinter]

27. Last night I wanted a little something sweet.

I just mixed up some pancake batter from the box, put in the aebleskiver pan, and filled them with apricot jam. I REFUSE to say how many I ate, but it wasn't "a little".

[troubleinwinter]

23. I love Lyle's

And even molasses!

I'm from the West. :+

[Tangerine LaBamba]

25. Good one

I think this is one of the funniest threads I've seen on DU.

Thank you.

[Retrograde]

32. My grandmother used Karo syrup

She made pretty lousy pancakes. Funny thing is, she was otherwise a good cook. Just didn't get pancakes. My mother, a lousy cook, made good ones. Go figure.

I use pure maple syrup. It's pricey, but a bottle lasts a long time. There's so much flavor you don't need much.

[soleiri]

34. You don’t know how good you had it.

When I was growing up, pancake syrup from the store was a luxury.
My mom made a sugar, water, maple extract concoction on the stove that she learned from her mom.
Real maple syrup? I never knew it existed until I was practically a teenager.
Now it’s real maple syrup, in fact, I have it on my oatmeal, too.

That's to make up for being deprived all those years.

[kestrel91316]

35. I haven't bought pancake syrup in YEARS. I make my own.

White sugar, brown sugar (homemade from molasses and white sugar, lol), water, maple flavoring. Tastes like the real deal to me. None of that cloying weird stickiness from the commercial syrups with HFCS.

My recipe is in the More-With-Less Cookbook by Doris Jantzen Longacre.