|
|
Article: The biggest sugar maple.
- Article from:
- American Forests
- Article date:
- November 1, 1992
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1992 American Forests. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
This ancient New Englander maintains its venerable demeanor despite bugs, lightning, and "roadkill."
"Stick to the maple and so long as the maple forests stand, suffer not your cup to be sweetened by the blood of slaves!" Thus did an 1844 Vermont almanac entreat its readers to boycott West Indies white sugar, made by slaves, in favor of maple sugar created by the hands of New England farmers.
For 200 years America's primary sweetener had come from the sugar maple, imported cane sugar being too costly. Early colonists learned to make maple sugar from the American Natives, who used birchbark buckets and hollowed out sumac twigs to collect the sap. Lacking ...