Vermont Symbols, Flavor: Maple

Adopted in 1993

Vermont is the only state that has passed an official State Flavor into law. As the leading producer of maple syrup in the United States it is no wonder that maple was the flavor that was chosen. Though maple syrup comes to mind immediately when one thinks of maple flavor, maple flavor is found in many other foods from ice-cream to cheese to smoked turkey.

Vermont is naturally very protective of its official State Flavor and so has designated, by law, specific guidelines that must be followed when labeling maple flavored products.

There are four different kinds of maple trees native to northeastern United States, all of which produce spring sap flows, can be tapped and will produce maple syrup. The four trees are: Sugar Maple (or Hard Maple), Silver Maple (or soft maple), Red Maple (or Swamp Maple), and Ash Leafed Maple (or Box Elder).

The Sugar Maple is the main maple producing tree. The sap from the sugar maple contains about 3% sugar, while the saps from the others contain half to two thirds as much. Also, the syrup made from the other saps are darker and less flavorful.

Vermont produces roughly twice as much syrup as any other state - somewhere between 350,000-500,000 gallons each year. And all of it comes from small independent sugarmakers using technology that hasn't changed all that much over the years. Yes, the bigger operations gather sap with plastic pipelines strung tree-to-tree instead of tin buckets. But the majority still use wood fired evaporators to boil down the sap. Some still use horsedrawn sleds to haul the sap out of the woods.

Maple syrup grades

In general, the lighter the color, the more delicate the flavor. The United States has some basic grading standards based on color and flavor.

US Grade AA Light Amber (Fancy). A light amber colored syrup with a mild flavor, usually made from the first brief flows of the season. Considered the highest grade.

US Grade A Medium Amber. Amber color and pronounced maple flavor. A good general usage syrup delicate enough to be used with subtle flavors but is generally used as a table syrup.

US Grade A Dark Amber. Deep color with a flavor likened to caramel. Some find it a bit too strong in flavor for general usage but it can be used like US Grade A Medium Amber.

Grade B. Very dark amber, less sweet with a robust, molasses-like flavor recommended primarily for baking.