Maple Syrup Products
Maple Syrup is one of the most ancient foods of North America. The actual origins of drawing Syrup from Maple trees is now lost in the mists of time. Indigo Herbs Organic Dark Maple Syrup is a fitting tribute to the very best examples of Maple Syrup that come from Canada. Coming in two sizes – 250ml & 425ml – this Maple Syrup is classified as 'Grade A: Very Dark & Strong Flavour'.
Before European settlers arrived in Canada the Native Peoples already knew a great deal about the Maple. The Native folk stories, legends and symbolism regarding this tree are many. One popular legend tells of how the Maple once ran thick with sugary sap all year round instead of just in winter. The story tells of how an emissary of the Grand Creator, a man called Gluskabe, found a whole encampment of people who'd given up their lives to lay beneath Maple trees and eat the sap as it fell from full branches. These people had grown fat and lazy from their indulgence and so Gluskabe used special powers granted to him to fill the Maple trees with water. This made all the sugary sap dilute and become less appetizing. Gluskabe then told the fat lazy village that they would have to hunt and fish for their survival - the sap would only run thick again during the winter months when hunting and growing vegetables was impossible.
The Maple tree was honored as being a source of food during those months when there was precious little to eat. There exists Maple ceremonies to ensure the Maple runs thick every year with offerings of tobacco incense. It was thought of as a gentle tree and was favoured for the fashioning of walking sticks. There are many more fascinating legends to do with the Maple Tree.
With its distinctively shaped leaf the Maple tree is very easy to spot. There are many trees that belong to the genus all having different characteristics throughout the Northern hemisphere. The Sugar Maple is the most common that is tapped for the production of Maple Syrup and can grow to about 45 meters. It's distinctive five pronged leaf turns a beautiful red/orange in the Autumn. The seeds of the Maple are called 'samara'; these are seeds that have the famous 'helicopter' wings that allow the seed to spin when they fall and be carried by the wind.
