S/O: Real maple syrup or "pancake syrup"?

[TwinFoxes]

I love real maple syrup! But apparently there's a vocal majority (minority?) that prefers the Mrs. Butterworth/Log Cabin type "pancake syrup". Which do you prefer? There is no "other", sorry honey/jam/nothing users. ;)

[maestramommy]

Real. It's pretty accessible here. Even TJs isn't too expensive, considering how slowly we use it.

[pastrygirl]

I grew up with Aunt Jemima, and didn't even know it wasn't real syrup. Now that I live in New England, it's pure maple syrup all the way!!

[MontrealMum]

Real all the way! It's yummy, relatively cheap (here), and plentiful.

[marie]

I grew up with Aunt Jemima, and didn't even know it wasn't real syrup. Now that I live in New England, it's pure maple syrup all the way!!

:yeahthat:

[elliput]

Real. The flavor is nonpareil, IMO.

[missym]

Ok, I'll admit it. DH makes maple syrup by tapping our maple trees and boiling the sap down each spring. I love that he does it, the girls learn a lot, it's cool and the syrup is tasty. But sometimes I miss my Mrs. Butterworths. :bag

[SkyrMommy]

Real! We tap our own trees every other spring & love opening a new jar that we boiled down. Yum!

[infomama]

I miss Mrs. Butterworths. We only use real Maple syrup these days though.

[brittone2]

Ok, I'll admit it. DH makes maple syrup by tapping our maple trees and boiling the sap down each spring. I love that he does it, the girls learn a lot, it's cool and the syrup is tasty. But sometimes I miss my Mrs. Butterworths. :bag
My kids are dying to do maple tapping. I need to find somewhere locally that does it as a workshop or something. I think they do it around here somewhere.

[weech]

Aunt Jemima Butter Lite :love5: Or IHOP's regular syrup.

DH thinks I'm weird because I can't stand the "real stuff"... it's so runny and it tastes weird! :ROTFLMAO:

[TwinFoxes]

Real! We tap our own trees every other spring & love opening a new jar that we boiled down. Yum!

That's awesome.


Ok, I'll admit it. DH makes maple syrup by tapping our maple trees and boiling the sap down each spring. I love that he does it, the girls learn a lot, it's cool and the syrup is tasty. But sometimes I miss my Mrs. Butterworths. :bag

Your shameful secret is safe with me. ;)

[stinkyfeet]

We buy our maple syrup at Costco...it makes me feel less guilty about the price.

[bcafe]

Real, with loads of real butter dripping down! Yum!

[AnnieW625]

I don't like syrup, never have. Growing up my mom bought Log Cabin, but sometimes we got the real stuff as a gift. I don't think DH or DD1 has a preference, but I buy the real stuff at Costco or Trader Joe's. One bottle lasts us a very long time.

[lizzywednesday]

Real for DD and I.

I admit that my family used the "maple flavored syrup" and "pancake syrup" growing up but I hated it because it made my stomach hurt. It still does.

I'd rather take my waffles/pancakes/French toast dry or with fruit than risk an upset stomach from the "fake" stuff.

DH likes "pancake syrup" so he buys it for himself. With his own money and on his own time. I've refused to put it into our grocery cart if I'm paying.

[sarahsthreads]

Real all the way! I really don't like the fake syrup. I'll admit to buying it, though, when certain people visit because they're used to pouring buckets of it on their pancakes. It's shocking to see someone use up half of a $20 bottle of real maple syrup in one meal! That size bottle can last my family of 4 for a good 3 months...

Sarah :)

[blisstwins]

real only--the fake stuff has no flavor.

[elbenn]

We only use real maple syrup. I haven't had the fake stuff in so long, that I didn't realize there was much of a taste difference. Guess I was wrong!

[twowhat?]

REAL!! The fake stuff is, well, fake!

DH however, doesn't like real maple syrup. Fine by me, we save a few bucks a year:)

[KLD313]

I use Log Cabin, I never liked maple syrup but haven't tried it in years. Maybe I should give it a go again? I don't drown my stuff in syrup, a little drizzle and I'm good.

[kristenk]

I fall in your "other" category.

Before I was at all concerned about HFCS, I was firmly in the "Aunt Jemima" camp. After looking at the ingredients one day with DD in tow, though, I just couldn't buy it. It wasn't worth it to me.

We've settled on using a raspberry syrup instead. We have maple syrup in the house for DH and I use it sometimes, but I like the raspberry best.

[crl]

We all love real maple syrup, even though dh and I grew up on the fake stuff.

Catherine

[scrooks]

Dc and DH- real

Me- fake:bag

[roseyloxs]

Ok, I'll admit it. DH makes maple syrup by tapping our maple trees and boiling the sap down each spring. I love that he does it, the girls learn a lot, it's cool and the syrup is tasty. But sometimes I miss my Mrs. Butterworths. :bag

Cool! How does one tap a maple tree. Does it have to be a certain kind of maple or do they all work. I think my parents have a maple tree.. would be so cool if they could make their own syrup.

[lizzywednesday]

Cool! How does one tap a maple tree. Does it have to be a certain kind of maple or do they all work. I think my parents have a maple tree.. would be so cool if they could make their own syrup.

It has to be a sugar maple.

http://www.ehow.com/facts_5434939_sugar-maple-trees.html

[cono0507]

If I'm being completely honest, I do love the fake stuff. I think because that's what I grew up with and I never even tasted real maple syrup until I was in my late 20's. However, I switched to real maple syrup when the kids started eating pancakes, etc, and haven't bought the fake stuff in probably 6 years now.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

me -real, hands down. the fake stuff takes very fake, and too sweet and is too thin/watery.

DH on the other hand, LOVES the fake stuff. :shrug:

[Fairy]

I love that you have no "other!" Ok, I PREFER the Mrs. Butterworths crap for taste and consistency. But I continue to buy the real thing for my family and try to make them eat it, which they won't, and there was $12 down the drain. So, I voted Mrs. Butterworths even tho I buy the real.

[Meatball Mommie]

I grew up with Aunt Jemima, and didn't even know it wasn't real syrup. Now that I live in New England, it's pure maple syrup all the way!!

This exactly! I had no idea it wasn't maple syrup until I ate breakfast at my in-laws for the first time :) Now there's no turning back!

[missym]

Cool! How does one tap a maple tree. Does it have to be a certain kind of maple or do they all work. I think my parents have a maple tree.. would be so cool if they could make their own syrup.

It needs to be a mature tree, but sugar, black, red, and silver maples would all work (in that order of preference, from best to worst in terms of quality of sap). We tap a sugar and a red and combine the two.

This site has some good information, though you don't necessarily need to buy their special buckets, etc. Depending on where you live, your hardware store might carry the right equipment in Jan/Feb.
http://www.tapmytrees.com/

This is a good book if you can get it through your library:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0881502162

[MamaMolly]

Real. The difference in nutritional value alone makes it worth it IMO.

[twowhat?]

It needs to be a mature tree, but sugar, black, red, and silver maples would all work (in that order of preference, from best to worst in terms of quality of sap). We tap a sugar and a red and combine the two.

This site has some good information, though you don't necessarily need to buy their special buckets, etc. Depending on where you live, your hardware store might carry the right equipment in Jan/Feb.
http://www.tapmytrees.com/

This is a good book if you can get it through your library:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0881502162

Wow, wow, WOW!! This is the coolest! We have a silver maple in the front yard that I believe just barely makes the 12 in diameter requirement! I am totally doing this when the girls are a bit older and can help - they LOVE maple syrup and being able to see the process from tap to sap to syrup will be awesome!! We only have the one tree though (and the lowest quality maple) - would it even be worth it and would it result in an appreciable amount of syrup?

And anyone else here know what a spile is only from reading the Hunger Games? :bag

[missym]

We only have the one tree though (and the lowest quality maple) - would it even be worth it and would it result in an appreciable amount of syrup?


It would probably be a fun experience for the kids, but it takes a lot of sap and a lot of boiling/evaporating to get a respectable amount of syrup. And the less sugar in the sap (like with a silver maple), the more boiling you'd have to do. So I'd say, go for it, it will be fun -- but be prepared that you might get one jar of syrup and maybe not want to do it again.

You could also scope out your neighbors yards if you're friendly with them... maybe they'd let you tap their trees? It's easier to boil a bunch of sap down all at once.

[lovin2shop]

I love that you have no "other!" Ok, I PREFER the Mrs. Butterworths crap for taste and consistency. But I continue to buy the real thing for my family and try to make them eat it, which they won't, and there was $12 down the drain. So, I voted Mrs. Butterworths even tho I buy the real.

Me too! No takers in my house, including myself!

[twowhat?]

It would probably be a fun experience for the kids, but it takes a lot of sap and a lot of boiling/evaporating to get a respectable amount of syrup. And the less sugar in the sap (like with a silver maple), the more boiling you'd have to do. So I'd say, go for it, it will be fun -- but be prepared that you might get one jar of syrup and maybe not want to do it again.

You could also scope out your neighbors yards if you're friendly with them... maybe they'd let you tap their trees? It's easier to boil a bunch of sap down all at once.

Hmmm...ok maybe when they're a lot older and I have a lot more time. Or for a science project or something. Dunno if it's worth spending $100 in sap-collecting supplies to get a jar of maple syrup, even for the experience:)

[longtallsally05]

Maple syrup for me, everyone else prefers the junky stuff. My absolute favorite is BIRCH SYRUP! Birch syrup is even better than maple; it's absolutely divine. It takes more birch sap to produce syrup than it takes to produce an equivalent amount of maple syrup. It's tough to get hold of though; I bought mine in Alaska. Yum!

[Pear]

I prefer real, but haven't found a reasonably priced source locally.

[hellokitty]

I'm not a big maple syrup fan, but DH and the kids are. So, we get the real stuff. I did not even realize until 10 yrs ago, that the stuff at the grocery store was fake and that I had been brought up eating the fake stuff. I think for me, the texture is a huge difference. Real maple syrup is kind of more runny/thin, while the fake stuff is thicker and more gooey. I will eat the fake stuff if that's all that's available. I only use a teeny amt and actually prefer a fruit topping on my breakfasts waffes/pancakes over maple syrup any day. I do like maple syrup candy though, YUM! Oh and maple syrup cotton candy is super delicious!

[jgenie]

I grew up with Aunt Jemima, and didn't even know it wasn't real syrup. Now that I live in New England, it's pure maple syrup all the way!!

:yeahthat:

[Tondi G]

well I don't really care for the taste of real maple syrup ... I grew up on Aunt Jemima's. My DH too loves the fake stuff and recently asked me to please buy him a bottle of it the next time I am at the grocery store. For the boys, they also don't love the taste of pure maple syrup so I've been buying the Maple Agave blend from Trader Joes and they seem to like it. If I make pancakes and plan to eat them myself, I usually just slice up a banana into mine and eat them with no syrup. The boys also prefer chocolate chips in their pancakes at home and don't use syrup.

[HannaAddict]

Real, no comparison. Grew up with Golden Griddle though. My kids all like like real, we found out they have a preference when they didn't like the thick, sticky fake stuff in-laws served.

[trales]

Not only do I like the pure stuff only, but I prefer to buy the Grade B. More maple flavor. It is so good. I am a maple syrup snob.

[elektra]

If we are talking pure taste then yes, I would probably prefer Mrs. Butterworth's in a taste test!

But I don't actually buy that. I am trying to like the more natural stuff.

[citymama]

REAL REAL REAL! I love maple syrup.

Dislike the fake stuff. Always have. The first bite or two are OK, after that even the fumes make me feel a little nauseous.

My kids like the real thing too.

[nupe]

Love the natural maple syrup, love grade "B" even better (stronger maple taste), along with real butter on the pancake/waffle/french toast.

[Mommy_Mea]

This is a constant debate in our house, I love the real thing, and DH loves the fake stuff. He says the real stuff has twice the sugar content, and I say I use half as much and it is natural...

I am working on getting DS1 converted, because I try and avoid HFCS/any added refined sugars as much as possible.

Funny, DH's parents were visiting and we were talking about this debate. DH said "well, it is what I grew up on!" and his Mom looks at him sideways and said "no you didn't, we only buy real maple syrup!" Funny how memory works :)

[rin]

Real, absolutely. I grew up on the fake stuff; always thought I just hated pancakes, waffles, etc. At some point in college I tried real maple syrup and realized I don't hate pancakes, just hate fake syrup!

[TwinFoxes]

Love the natural maple syrup, love grade "B" even better (stronger maple taste)

I like the grade B too, but I can't help but wonder if I serve it to guests if they'll wonder if I'm serving them unsafe food! :tongue5: It's never come up, it's just something that my little brain wonders about.

[boltfam]

I grew up on Aunt Jemima, but we do real here now. I could never go back. Love real maple syrup!

[crl]

For anyone who is generally curious, here's the wiki on maple syrup (includes nutritional info).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maple_syrup

Catherine

[scriptkitten]

my kids and husband eat maple.

i buy cheap splenda sweetened stuff. i hate maple syrup. its truly gross to me.

[123LuckyMom]

I think it's got to be linked to what you had growing up. I never had the fake stuff, and when I have it now, it just tastes like chemicals to me. I hate it so much that I used to carry a tourist sized mini bottle of syrup in the diaper bag for Sunday restaurant breakfasts!

[Pyrodjm]

I will only use Alaga (http://www.amazon.com/Alaga-Cane-Syrup-16-oz/dp/B00168ACUI) syrup. My dad and his family are from Georgia and that's what he had growing up. I always preferred to use his special syrup instead of Aunt Jemima or whatever my mom bought. No other compares to it for me. It's made with cane syrup and IMO tastes awesome.

DH HATES Alaga and maple syrup so he and the kids use Log Cabin (no HFCS) even though I think he prefers the taste of Aunt Jemima. I keep my special bottle of Alaga on a high cabinet shelf just like my dad has always done.

[buddyleebaby]

Maple, hands down.

I will eat the fake stuff if that is all there is but it's not even close to being the same.

[SnuggleBuggles]

It didn't take me long at all to get over the fake stuff I grew up eating. It is real only here now!! I successfully broke myself of many of the crappy stuff I grew up eating and now am a snob. :)

[SkyrMommy]

Making your own maple syrup is um... fun, but long and depending on the season and the sugar content of the sap can take anywhere from 40-60 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup. We only tap our sugar maples and had nearly 200 taps in the sugar bush this year, but with warm and uncertain weather we bottled less this year than we have in years past. But I wouldn't trade it for anything... the sugar house smells soooooooo good when you're boiling down.

Here is a funny video about the costs of maple syrup and some of the 'work' that goes into it. it's long, about 14 minutes, but hysterical!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqreE_O6mBU

[Puddy73]

Real or Mrs. Butterworth's, just bring on the pancakes!

[ZeeBaby]

Love real maple syrup!

[s7714]

Real maple syrup gives me a horrible headache. I love the taste, but it just doesn't love me, so I happily use the fake no-HFCS stuff.

[klwa]

Neither. :) My favorite is dark Karo corn syrup. (But, hey, no high fructose corn syrup at least!) Not a fan of real maple syrup, although DH is, & am only so-so about Log Cabin & the like. The kids are so used to me using Karo, they think the others are weird, which makes things difficult on DH. (And, we have a largish container of maple in the pantry at all times for DH.)

[klwa]

Funny, DH's parents were visiting and we were talking about this debate. DH said "well, it is what I grew up on!" and his Mom looks at him sideways and said "no you didn't, we only buy real maple syrup!" Funny how memory works :)

*laughs* If his mom is anything like mine was, either of them could be telling the truth. Momma would always conveniently forget anything that made her look like "less" of a mother in modern eyes. (Like, letting me take sips out of her wine glass. Or, heck, her having WINE in her wine glass in front of me. Nope, once I turned 16, she ONLY ever had drunk sparkling cider. Even though we only had SC at the house at New Years.)