# Genuine Vermont Maple Syrup **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 25, 2006, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genuine-vermont-maple-syrup/385542 "2006-12-25T17:37:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dauerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2006, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genuine-vermont-maple-syrup/385542/1 "2006-12-25T17:37:07Z")
I was told by a Vermonter that there is some type of law that allows identification of genuine Vermont maple syrup. It has something to do with the label being on the top half of the container. If true, I assume it is only valid for syrup sold in Vermont. Is this true, or was he pulling my leg? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2006, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genuine-vermont-maple-syrup/385542/2 "2006-12-25T17:49:22Z")
There are labeling laws regarding Vermont Maple Syrup, but the location of the label is unspecified. The relevant law (Warning: PDF doc) reads as follows: > [@](#): > > § 490. Labels > (a) Maple syrup. Every shipment, package or container of maple syrup packed, sold, offered or exposed for sale or distribution by any person shall be plainly marked in accordance with 9 V.S.A. § 2633(c), for packaging and labeling regulations and shall include: > (1) the name, address and zip code of the packer; > (2) the true name of the product; > (3) the grade; and > (4) the volume of the contents at 68 degrees Fahrenheit or 20 degrees Celsius. > (b) All other pure maple products. Every shipment, package or container of maple products other than maple syrup packed, sold, offered or exposed for sale or distribution by any person shall be plainly marked in accordance with 9 V.S.A. § 2633(c), for packaging and labeling regulations and shall include: > (1) the name, address and zip code of the packer; > Page 5 > (2) the true name of the product; and > (3) the volume of the contents at 68 degrees Fahrenheit or 20 degrees Celsius if the product is a liquid or with the net weight if the product is not a liquid. > (c) Any labeling on bulk or packaged maple syrup which indicates "State of Vermont pure maple syrup,"Vermont maple syrup, Vermont syrup, or any other words which imply that the syrup so marked was produced in Vermont shall be used exclusively upon 100 percent maple syrup which is entirely produced within the state of Vermont in compliance with the terms of this chapter and the regulations promulgated hereunder. > (d) Any labeling on all other maple products which states or implies that those products were produced in Vermont shall be used exclusively upon 100 percent pure maple products which are entirely produced within the state of Vermont in compliance with the terms of this chapter and the regulations promulgated hereunder. > (Added 1981, No. 235 (Adj. Sess.), § 1.) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genuine-vermont-maple-syrup/385542/3 "2006-12-26T03:40:59Z")
My father, who lives in New York and actually produced maple syrup up to last year, brought his finished bulk syrup over to Vermont to be sold as “Vermont Syrup” and nobody ever questioned him as to its point of origin. Apparently as long as it’s being bottled in Vermont it’s sold as a Vermont product and nobody worries too much about the legal aspects of it being produced from trees in New York, New Hampshire, or Maine. For all I know, Quebecois syrup is crossing the international border and being mixed in with Vermont syrup as well. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genuine-vermont-maple-syrup/385542/4 "2006-12-26T03:47:06Z")
As long as we’re on the subject of maple syrup…I was just buying some the other day in Trader Joe’s, and the signs said that some people say that Grade B syrup is better than Grade A. What is the difference? ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genuine-vermont-maple-syrup/385542/5 "2006-12-26T03:59:02Z")
Grade B has a stronger “maple” flavour than Grade A. So if you’re a big fan of the maple taste, you might prefer Grade B over Grade A. ---
**Author:** ![filmyak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@filmyak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmyak)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genuine-vermont-maple-syrup/385542/6 "2006-12-26T05:06:30Z")
OK, gotta take this thread to the next level. A friend of mine grew up in Vermont, and said that as a kid, he and his friends would have contests to see who could pee in the most syrup buckets that day. That is, going through the woods and seeing buckets tapped into trees collecting the sap that becomes syrup, and they’d add some pee to each one they passed. He refuses to eat syrup to this day. Is this problem restricted to local yokels, or do I need to worry about stuff exported to Los Angeles, too? Any health issues here? Or is it just a gross factor best ignored? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genuine-vermont-maple-syrup/385542/7 "2006-12-26T05:25:56Z")
No health issues. Urine’s actually fairly sterile and the process of converting sap into syrup would sterilize anything - it consists of several hours of continuous boiling. I never whizzed in a sap bucket but I certainly saw a lot of them with insects, leaves, and bark in them. We ran everything through a filter first to keep out the solid objects but took no other special precautions. As for the gross factor, compare maple syrup to honey and tell me who wins. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genuine-vermont-maple-syrup/385542/8 "2006-12-26T05:32:20Z")
[QUOTE=filmyak] OK … is it just a gross factor best ignored? [/QUOTE] EWWWWWW. I don’t even care anymore. I’m sticking with Mrs Butterworth from now on. ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genuine-vermont-maple-syrup/385542/9 "2006-12-26T05:42:59Z")
[QUOTE=Little Nemo] No health issues. Urine’s actually fairly sterile and the process of converting sap into syrup would sterilize anything - it consists of several hours of continuous boiling. [/QUOTE] I wonder if it could alter the taste, though. (Probably not much given the amount of sap required to produce maple syrup.) Aren’t most operations mechanized now anyway? Is there still a bucket to pee in? ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genuine-vermont-maple-syrup/385542/10 "2006-12-26T06:56:42Z")
[QUOTE=severus] I wonder if it could alter the taste, though. (Probably not much given the amount of sap required to produce maple syrup.) [/QUOTE] What if the bucket is right next to the bus stop? :smack: 🆒😃☹ ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2006, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genuine-vermont-maple-syrup/385542/11 "2006-12-26T22:31:51Z")
The laws probably pertain to syrup being sold in Vermont. Like Kona Coffee Blends in Hawaii has to have at least 10% Kona Coffee minimally. But this is only a state law. ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2006, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genuine-vermont-maple-syrup/385542/12 "2006-12-27T01:41:29Z")
[QUOTE=vivalostwages] As long as we’re on the subject of maple syrup…I was just buying some the other day in Trader Joe’s, and the signs said that some people say that Grade B syrup is better than Grade A. What is the difference? [/QUOTE] Maple syrup junkie who has his syrup shipped from Quebec every year. As the season progresses, the sap that comes out of the tree starts to thin out (or is it thicker, I can’t remember now). This changes the quality of the syrup that you get (it also takes more boiling to make syrup from thinner sap which further changes the syrup taste). First you have “Fancy” syrup. Very light in colour, incredible taste. Doesn’t travel or hold too well. Best of the best and not found everywhere. Then grades A and B are darker (in that order). They are more caramelized and taste less of the sap and more of caramel. Then you have dark syrup (which comes from cleaning the machines, I think) they don’t sell that crap anywhere Then comes Aunt Jemina which comes from nowhere near a maple tree. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2006, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genuine-vermont-maple-syrup/385542/13 "2006-12-27T01:58:59Z")
Picking up on Aunt Jemima, several products including Vermont Maid will promote themselves as being Northern New England syrup, ayuh, but when you look at the ingredients, they will list things like corn syrup, cane syrup, and a grand total of 1.5% maple syrup. (I’ve never figured out why the 1.5% specifically, but it was consistent across several brands when I comparison shopped a number of years back.) New York maple syrup, by the way, produced in the western Adirondacks and the rural country between them and the St. Lawrence/Lake Ontario, has a distinctly different taste from Vermont syrup, one I find difficult to describe. Slightly more delicate and sweeter, but not cloyingly so, at a first cut. **Little Nemo** , care to take a stab? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2006, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genuine-vermont-maple-syrup/385542/14 "2006-12-28T04:19:48Z")
> [@](#): > > Then you have dark syrup (which comes from cleaning the machines, I think) they don’t sell that crap anywhere. Sure you do. You just can’t buy it - at least not a bottle of it to pour on your pancakes. But dark syrup is used for giving other products a maple flavor. And being strongly flavored, it probably often does a better job than the more expensive lighter syrups would have done. > [@](#): > > New York maple syrup, by the way, produced in the western Adirondacks and the rural country between them and the St. Lawrence/Lake Ontario, has a distinctly different taste from Vermont syrup, one I find difficult to describe. Slightly more delicate and sweeter, but not cloyingly so, at a first cut. Little Nemo, care to take a stab? It could be true but I hadn’t heard of it. But my family is from the eastern Adirondacks along the Lake Champlain shore and practically in Vermont anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2006, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genuine-vermont-maple-syrup/385542/15 "2006-12-28T19:17:31Z")
Hmmmm. If you read “syrup” often enough, after awhile it doesn’t even look like a real word. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2006, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genuine-vermont-maple-syrup/385542/16 "2006-12-28T19:34:30Z")
Syrup syrup syrup syrup… My husband’s from the maple country of Ohio and will turn up his nose at Vermont, Canadian, or New York maple syrup. Me? I like Log Cabin better than all the maples. I think it’s all about what you grew up with. But B is better than Fancy or A, at least. But I love drinking maple sap right out of the bucket. Colder than cold itself (the sap has natural antifreeze in it, so it’s liquid even when colder than 32), oh, sweet Lords of Kobol, it’s like drinking Light itself! ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2006, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genuine-vermont-maple-syrup/385542/17 "2006-12-28T19:35:55Z")
[QUOTE=filmyak] OK, gotta take this thread to the next level. A friend of mine grew up in Vermont, and said that as a kid, he and his friends would have contests to see who could pee in the most syrup buckets that day. That is, going through the woods and seeing buckets tapped into trees collecting the sap that becomes syrup, and they’d add some pee to each one they passed. He refuses to eat syrup to this day. Is this problem restricted to local yokels, or do I need to worry about stuff exported to Los Angeles, too? Any health issues here? Or is it just a gross factor best ignored? [/QUOTE] so that golden color is from… ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2006, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genuine-vermont-maple-syrup/385542/18 "2006-12-28T19:36:52Z")
[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir] Hmmmm. If you read “syrup” often enough, after awhile it doesn’t even look like a real word. :dubious: [/QUOTE] Is this some sort of SDMB code or something? It turns up in a lot of threads ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2006, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genuine-vermont-maple-syrup/385542/19 "2006-12-28T19:59:59Z")
I have to disagree on the “fancy” grade tasting better. IMHO it has \*less \* taste. I’ve been told that at one time, when cane and other sugars were hard to come by, the less flavorful syrup was preferred as a substitute for them. You can definitely get grade B, which is rich and full-flavored, but probably not on your usual supermarket shelf. We make a point of driving up to the maple syrup states at least once a year and try to buy the good stuff directly from the person who made it, usually at some little roadside stand. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2006, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genuine-vermont-maple-syrup/385542/20 "2006-12-28T20:01:23Z")
[QUOTE=Sapo] Is this some sort of SDMB code or something? It turns up in a lot of threads [/QUOTE] Not that I know of. It’s an old public speaking technique to avoid embarrassment at potentially troublesome words, though. Say “penis” 50 times and it loses all meaning, making your report on erectile dysfunction drugs less excruciating. It’s also a stoner game. I hear. Hypothetically, of course. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genuine-vermont-maple-syrup/385542.md?page=2)