# Strategic Reserve critically low. No, not oil. Maple syrup **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 21, 2026, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strategic-reserve-critically-low-no-not-oil-maple-syrup/1034027 "2026-10-21T04:12:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strategic-reserve-critically-low-no-not-oil-maple-syrup/1034027/21 "2026-10-22T03:10:52Z")
Are we related, somehow? šŸ˜‰ ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strategic-reserve-critically-low-no-not-oil-maple-syrup/1034027/22 "2026-10-22T03:26:03Z")
I have a bit of the forbidden [Canadian stuff](https://www.amazon.com/Award-Winning-Escuminac-Unblended-Canadian/dp/B01MYH5E99) left in the fridge. Donā€™t tell the government! I only rarely have a use for maple syrup as I much prefer savory breakfasts and I donā€™t love to cook with the stuff. But every once in awhile you get a hankering. When you do itā€™s nice to have something decent to splurge with. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strategic-reserve-critically-low-no-not-oil-maple-syrup/1034027/23 "2026-10-22T03:58:49Z")
When I was in 5th grade during the mid 80ā€™s, my step-mother would always have a nice tin of pure Vermont Maple Syrup in a lovely semi-decorative tin. But because it was such a pain to use, it was _never on the table_. Instead, we had a squeeze bottle of a maple syrup / corn syrup blend IIRC. It didnā€™t matter much to me, because I was in the honey faction. As an adult, I keep real maple syrup in the house as well as honey, and enjoy both, but generally go with the honey because itā€™s cheaper! ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strategic-reserve-critically-low-no-not-oil-maple-syrup/1034027/24 "2026-10-22T04:11:41Z")
> [@smithsb](#): > > Donā€™t waste any on the flat plate/serving. Nothing says you canā€™t lick the plate. When I eat breakfast out I bring a 4-oz. chefā€™s condiment bottle of the stuff. [![](https://cdnimg.webstaurantstore.com/images/products/large/48478/3074400.jpg) ](https://cdnimg.webstaurantstore.com/images/products/large/48478/3074400.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strategic-reserve-critically-low-no-not-oil-maple-syrup/1034027/25 "2026-10-22T05:03:45Z")
Last time I bought maple syrup was four years ago, buying a few jugs for soldiers in Ukraine. It was in the midst of the 2022 craze for syrup in the trenches. They apparently thought it was a primarily United States food product, leading some Redditors to make disgruntled Canadian noises. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strategic-reserve-critically-low-no-not-oil-maple-syrup/1034027/26 "2026-10-22T13:20:46Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > ETA: My late wife was from CT. There was a great deal of snobbery about whether CT, VT, NH, or ME made the best syrup. MA? YGBSM!, Canadian? Pffft! I grew up in New England. In my humble opinion, some _farms_ produce better syrup than others. And the grade matters, although the latest set of grades obscures that. But i think that both excellent and mediocre maple syrup can be found from any of those locations. (I am finishing a gallon jug from CT i bought a few years ago, and my next syrup is in a quart glass jar and was harvested and cooked down in MA. Iā€™m looking forward to it, as Iā€™m told itā€™s especially flavorful.) ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strategic-reserve-critically-low-no-not-oil-maple-syrup/1034027/27 "2026-10-22T14:27:07Z")
Iā€™ve wanted to tap the trees in my yard for years, and even have a spile that our friend used to use to tap hers. Iā€™m less interested in the 40:1 boiling down of the sap, however; Iā€™d want to do that in the yard, which is a pretty New England thing to do, but feels like too much work. And what if our trees, despite being lovely MA maples, donā€™t have great sap? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strategic-reserve-critically-low-no-not-oil-maple-syrup/1034027/28 "2026-10-22T14:34:52Z")
They have good sap, if you tap them at the right time. The issues mostly have to with timing and with cooking. Too early, and you get sugar but not a lot of ā€œmapleā€ flavor. (Back when maple sugar competed with cane sugar as a generic sweetener, that was the highest quality, but itā€™s not the most desirable today.) Too late in the season and you get off flavors and it gets bitter. Although, i used to be on a mailing list about growing fruit, and one poster said heā€™d won numerous awards for the best maple syrup, and his secret was the blend. He didnā€™t use all sugar maple. He used a few other saps, including striped maple, silver maple, and even a little bit of box elder (which is closely related.) Iā€™ve had pure silver maple syrup, and it wasnā€™t very different from sugar maple syrup. I canā€™t imagine tapping striped maple or box elder. Both are rather small trees. That must have been an act of love on his part. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strategic-reserve-critically-low-no-not-oil-maple-syrup/1034027/29 "2026-10-22T14:38:19Z")
My dad used to tap the box elders on the farmyard, though up here theyā€™re generally called Manitoba maples. _Acer negundo_, by whatever common name. The syrup doesnā€™t have quite the same taste as the eastern sugar maple-derived stuff, but is quite tasty. Also, the syrup:sap ratio is significantly worse that sugar maples. But an old retired farmer isnā€™t necessarily concerned with efficient production. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strategic-reserve-critically-low-no-not-oil-maple-syrup/1034027/30 "2026-10-22T16:25:21Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Are we related, somehow? šŸ˜‰ I donā€™t know. Did he ever tell you, as a kid, that you wouldnā€™t like cheesecake because it was too rich? I was just old enough to notice that cheesecake was close to twice as expensive as pie, and Iā€™d have accepted that as an answer. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strategic-reserve-critically-low-no-not-oil-maple-syrup/1034027/31 "2026-10-22T16:36:28Z")
As my wife is Canadian, I have several pipelines for the finest of maple syrups. We probably have enough in our house for a good couple of years. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strategic-reserve-critically-low-no-not-oil-maple-syrup/1034027/32 "2026-10-22T21:23:34Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I canā€™t imagine tapping striped maple or box elder. Both are rather small trees. I tried tapping two box elders this past season, they produced such small amounts of sap that it was not worth the effort at all. Even though the trees were pretty good sized for their species. Going forward Iā€™m sticking with tapping red, silver, and sugar maples. Plus my special walnut tree. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strategic-reserve-critically-low-no-not-oil-maple-syrup/1034027/33 "2026-10-22T22:15:42Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > I donā€™t know. Did he ever tell you, as a kid, that you wouldnā€™t like cheesecake because it was too rich? My aunts used to always tell me that pecan pie is gross. I was embarrassingly old before I noticed that, whenever they said that, they were always holding a plate of pecan pie. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strategic-reserve-critically-low-no-not-oil-maple-syrup/1034027/34 "2026-10-22T22:25:43Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > Pancake lovers best brace for higher prices for the one true pancake topping. This is the sort of story that saps oneā€™s will to carry on. Mrs. Odesio opined in January 2025 that we should purchase a good amount of maple syrup to tide us over in the event President Trump did anything stupid like tarriff Canada. Little did we suspect we might be part of the problem. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strategic-reserve-critically-low-no-not-oil-maple-syrup/1034027/35 "2026-10-22T22:29:33Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > I gave up on maple syrup a long time ago. Itā€™s far to easy to over indulge without realizing it, and Iā€™d rather spend my calories on something else. Honestly, one of the things I like about maple syrup is I use far less of it than I do the fake stuff. I feel as though a little bit goes a long, long way. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strategic-reserve-critically-low-no-not-oil-maple-syrup/1034027/36 "2026-10-22T22:38:48Z")
Once again, Ohio has been left out. We have a nice maple syrup zone east of Cleveland. I tapped my red maples years ago and made some but it wasnā€™t as tasty as the sugar maple. https://embed.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/1hgejjt/maple_syrup_production_map_by_state_usa/?embed=true&ref_source=embed&ref=share ---
**Author:** ![vbob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vbob/32/4439_2.png) [@vbob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vbob)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2026, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strategic-reserve-critically-low-no-not-oil-maple-syrup/1034027/37 "2026-10-22T22:42:59Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I canā€™t imagine tapping striped maple or box elder. Both are rather small trees. We had occasion to cut down some 2-3" diameter birch trees growing on top of a retaining wall at my momā€™s house one spring many moons ago - when cut through, sap SPURTED out of the stumps. Mom ran in the house, came out with wine glasses to capture the thin clear sap in and we toasted our spring cleanup in the most delicious treewine - so fresh it was nearly effervescent. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2026, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strategic-reserve-critically-low-no-not-oil-maple-syrup/1034027/38 "2026-10-23T22:41:03Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > There was a great deal of snobbery about whether CT, VT, NH, or ME made the best syrup As said above, you left out NY. I mostly use maple syrup for a recipe I found for chicken. Make a glaze with maple syrup and mustard, bake for the appropriate time, and itā€™s damn good. I donā€™t breakfast very often. @vbob Very cool story. Iā€™ve got a ton of sapling-3" black walnut trees in my yard. May go out with a pruner and a catch basin. Anybody know does sumac give any useful liquid? Cuz Iā€™ve got a ton of that. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strategic-reserve-critically-low-no-not-oil-maple-syrup/1034027/39 "2026-10-24T02:07:01Z")
If you have staghorn sumac, you can boil the ripe berries, and then strain them out (like making tea) and add a little sugar for a refreshing ā€œsumac-aidā€. Thatā€™s the only way i know you make anything edible out of sumac. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2026, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strategic-reserve-critically-low-no-not-oil-maple-syrup/1034027/40 "2026-10-24T17:49:02Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Thatā€™s the only way i know you make anything edible out of sumac. Much of the flavor comes from the powder on the outside. Wait until well after a rain for the best flavor. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strategic-reserve-critically-low-no-not-oil-maple-syrup/1034027.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strategic-reserve-critically-low-no-not-oil-maple-syrup/1034027.md?page=3)