The voting is on in our Your Best Maple contest. While we wait
for the votes to come in, here are some facts and figures about
everyone's favorite pancake topping: What is maple syrup? Quite
simply, maple syrup is the concentrated sap of the sugar maple
tree, found primarily in the Northeastern US and Canada. How do
we get sap out of trees? It all depends on the weather: during
the long, cold months of winter, sap stays stationary in the
tree as its roots draw water up from the ground for nourishment.
When spring arrives, the sap slowly warms and starts to move
through the tree. Because of the cycle of warm days and cool
nights in early spring, maple sap is always on the move --
freeze and thaw, over and over. This is the key! "Sugarmakers"
(as maple syrup producers are called) drill small openings
called "tapholes" into each tree and insert a tube or spout. As
the sap inside the tree thaws and begins to flow, it drains out
of the tree into tapholes that empty into buckets. This gathered
sap is what eventuall