Just read the pancake syrup label and it's going in the trash. Do any of you make it

[imeverywoman]

yourselves? It seems to me that I saw a recipe for it somewhere involving sugar, water and maple favoring.

Anyone?

[abbeyej]

We just use real maple syrup.

Yes, it's more expensive than the nasty corn syrup stuff at the grocery store, but you can also use much less and find it very satisfying. If you're lucky enough to have Trader Joe's, it's a great place to buy high quality maple syrup for less than the usual grocery store prices.

[KIN]

I agree with Abbey! We use real maple syrup and it is the best!!!

[dirty ethel rackham]

Yup, real maple syrup users here as well. We use less because the flavor is stronger. Our local Trader Joe's is a great source.

[*anj*]

Yup, another vote for maple syrup!

We buy a half gallon at a time, and it lasts us about six months, depending on how often we have pancakes and such. I don't let my kids pour their own, and I dole it out like gold. It's much better for you and tastier too.

[astrid]

YUM! Grade B has a stronger flavor but it's harder to find. Almost sugaring time here in New England!

I don't think I"ve ever bought anything else. Try it--- you'll like it!
(also great on vanilla ice cream!)

[StaceyinLA]

We do either Grade A or B depending, but either way, we get pure Maple.

[*anj*]

YUM! Grade B has a stronger flavor but it's harder to find. Almost sugaring time here in New England!

I don't think I"ve ever bought anything else. Try it--- you'll like it!
(also great on vanilla ice cream!)

Agreed! That's my favorite too! :D

[strider]

We love real maple syrup AND like the others, we use less of it. The taste is strong and very satisfying. My ds and I actually like to share a "dipping plate" and dip our pancakes in the syrup to get just the right amount.

[Colleen]

Fake maple syrup absolutely disgusts me. Ugh. But you certainly don't need to make your own; just buy real maple syrup.:)

[Quiver0f10]

I will admit that we use fake syrup here. I use 1 cup water to 2 cups sugar ( 1 brown and 1 white) and then a tbsp maple flavoring.

[KristineIN]

I only make the fake stuff is we have run out of maple and I am in a pinch (as in, I wake up and realize there is no syrup!)

Sam's Club has maple syrup for a pretty good price.

Kristine

[Amy in NH]

Yup. Grade B here too. We're lucky enough to have the McClures bottling plant nearby. We go buy it by the 1/2 gallon directly from the office.

It is unfortunate, in a way, being a maple syrup snob. It means that I can never enjoy a pancake house without bringing my own syrup ;)

[Sandy in Indy]

I will admit that we use fake syrup here. I use 1 cup water to 2 cups sugar ( 1 brown and 1 white) and then a tbsp maple flavoring.

I've used this recipe without the maple flavoring but with vanilla and butter added. In fact, this was the first thing we learned to make in 7th grade home ec. (Yes I'm old enough that we actually had home ec!) We made french toast and syrup and sat at tables with "correct" place settings.

[Ellie]

nt

[imeverywoman]

begging a kind soul to send me chocolate chips (non-dairy) so that my dd can have cc cookies.

Okay. So it's a given. I need to get the real stuff, eh? Are my kids going to like it if they've never had it before? Unfortunately, they've grown up on the garbage stuff...

[Colleen]

Even big box places like Costco (or whatever you have down there) sell real maple syrup (Grade A). Will your kids like it? Well, I love it ~ and despise the fake stuff although I grew up thinking Log Cabin actually was maple syrup. Didn't have a clue otherwise until I reached adulthood. Anyway, how much syrup do your kids eat? It's not like it's a staple in their diets (right?!). If they don't like, they can lump it.:)

[imeverywoman]

If they don't like, they can lump it.:)

Oh, woman, you make me laugh! Great minds....

[kokotg]

My kids, especially my oldest, insisted they couldn't stand the real syrup when we first switched over. We just let them put jam or butter on their pancakes instead for awhile. But eventually they caved, and of course now they're always talking about how much better real syrup is.

[lynn]

We use honey or pure maple syrup that store bought syrup although tastey is just full of nothing good

[jmgconner]

Some nicer grocery stores even carry 100% maple syrup. Once you have that delicious syrup, you won't want anything else!

[abbeyej]

Y'all just knock it off!!! I don't have a Trader Joe's around me ...
Okay. So it's a given. I need to get the real stuff, eh? Are my kids going to like it if they've never had it before? Unfortunately, they've grown up on the garbage stuff...

You don't *need* a Trader Joe's -- you can buy real maple syrup at any grocery or natural foods store (it's just often a little cheaper at TJ's). :)

It's hard for me to imagine preferring the nasty stuff -- but I also agree with those who said "just make the switch, and if they don't like it, they can have jam" (organic all-fruit spread, of course, lol)... My kids certainly love the real stuff, but I don't think they've ever had the other stuff except at Grandma's house. Do keep in mind that they don't need *tons* of syrup if you're using real maple syrup -- a little goes a long way.

[*anj*]

Okay, confession time.

I was raised on Mrs. Butterworth's and I thought it was Really, Really Good.

It was "buttery tasting" and since we were spreading Parkay Margarine on the pancakes, I thought it was good that the syrup tasted like butter.

Ahhhhh, is it any wonder I grew up and turned into a food snob?

[Mamagistra]

It was "buttery tasting" and since we were spreading Parkay Margarine on the pancakes, I thought it was good that the syrup tasted like butter.

LOL! :D

[Miss Peregrine]

Only the real stuff here, and I prefer grade B myself but will buy either A or B.

The kids know that a little goes a long way so they don't drown their waffles, pancakes, etc.

The corn syrup stuff--just *ugh*

[Audrey]

Fake maple syrup absolutely disgusts me. Ugh. But you certainly don't need to make your own; just buy real maple syrup.:)

Oh please yes! Just buy the real maple syrup. It is a stronger maple taste, so a little goes a long way (at least here it does) which makes its cost more economical than you'd think at first glance.

[Audrey]

I don't think I've bothered to look at the grade on the labels before. Now I'll have to go look.

Another good option, for the OP (or anyone)... make your own fruit syrups. I make loads and loads of strawberry, raspberry and saskatoon syrups every summer. Of course, I like that stuff best on ice cream.

For some reason, though, people tend frown on syrup covered ice cream for breakfast. Go figure. :p

[Mrs Mungo]

In this case, I'm voting with the crowd. We use real maple syrup.

[Danestress]

yourselves? It seems to me that I saw a recipe for it somewhere involving sugar, water and maple favoring.

Anyone?


It took me a while to get used to real maple syrup. It's thinner than the fake stuff.

I have tried making my own and that was okay but again, thin. No one really liked it.

So we are real maple syrup eaters, but even more often than we use it, we used blueberry sause. I dump a bunch of frozen blueberries in a sause pan, cover with water, add a cup of sugar and some lemon juice a boil until all the berries pop. I thinken with a little corn starch. Sometimes I add a bit of vanilla to round out the flavor. My family LOVES this.

[jacqui in mo]

Amazon.com has organic maple syrup "Coombs family farms". It seems expensive at first but when I compared it to the grocery store prices for little bottles of real maple, it actually isn't too bad a price. I don't know how it compares with TJ's. 2 jugs qualify for free shipping too.

[Carpe Diem]

We do and it work well. In fact on one of our bottles it said to store in the freezer. It doesn't completely freeze, you can still pour it into a serving dish and warm it up.

Anyone else freeze theirs?

[Jackie in AR]

yourselves? It seems to me that I saw a recipe for it somewhere involving sugar, water and maple favoring.

Anyone?


Real maple syrup users here, too; we get ours at Sam's.

[nestof3]

We use real maple syrup too.

[Jules]

We make our own by mixing Heavy Whipping Cream and brown sugar together. I don't have exact measurements, we just go by the golden brown color.
My kids love this!

I make up a big batch and then just store it in the frigerator. You can reheat it up as you need it.

[kalanamak]

B is the grade, and it is darker.

[Kendall]

When I am pregnant the maple syrup is too sugary for me and I make the following. Only some of my children will use it.

frozen apple juice concentrate + 1 can water

When it boils add 1/2 c. cold water that was mixed with 3 T cornstarch

stir a little and when it thickens remove from heat and add 1 t maple flavoring and 1 t vanilla.

Store in fridge.



Another we use is water/sugar as others mentioned with a little molasses added.

[Sixmeadows]

Yup, real maple syrup..
The first time we switched over my 3rd son (5yr)said, This tastes like tree." It was funny. They have all gotten used to it now and actually prefer it to the corn syrup stuff.

Cheri

[PrairieAir]

It is far too sweet, even if I use it sparingly. Maybe it's the kind of sweet. Honey is sometimes too sweet for me, too. It depends on what I'm eating. I can use maple syrup for a sweetner in my coffee or in recipes, but it is too strong on top of pancakes or French toast or waffles. I don't think I've ever tried the B grade. This would be whatever is most readily available in grocery stores.

I understand wanting to cut back on the amount of corn syrup, but IMO there are certain things it makes more sense to use corn syrup for. Cut back on corn syrup as a filler in foods you wouldn't normally expect to have a sweetner like spaghetti sauce and hot dogs. Corn syrup is just fine for pancakes if you don't like maple syrup and for getting the consistency right in buttercream icing or making candy clay. (Though now I'm wondering how maple syrup would work in the icing.) I think it's the overuse of corn syrup that's so bad. If you're allergic to corn or just really averse to using corn syrup for anything at all and you don't like the real thing, I'd go with one of the fruit syrups or the homemade sugar syrups.

People have different tastes. Fake maple syrup may disgust some, but other foods disgust me. It's all a matter of preference. Choose the syrup you like best.

[Adrianne]

We just can't afford real maple syrup here. We eat pancakes five days a week.

Thanks Jean for this recipe. I am going to try it.

Adrianne

[Robin Hood]

I will admit that we use fake syrup here. I use 1 cup water to 2 cups sugar ( 1 brown and 1 white) and then a tbsp maple flavoring.

This what we do do, but we don't stop at maple. We've made orange syrup and mint. At the end of breakfast, it's not all that much sugar and it's not corn syrup, which I understand is somewhat the cause of obesity. (It's been suggested to me and supported only by one article that obesity increased at the introduction of corn sryup. True or not, I curbed the amount of any food we eat with corn syrup and it has made a difference.)
I used to buy the real stuff, but now we are poor and it's just too much money. When I consider how much I spent on the phoney stuff for dh who loves it the most, compared with the cost of making it, I just can't buy it any more.
When I think of all the ways I try to eliminate sugary foods from our diet, a little inexpensive home made syrup is pretty good, even though it's not the "real" thing.

[Colleen]

And don't forget that corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup are not one and the same.

[CLHCO]

Though I admit I'm in the "real maple syrup" crowd, when in a pinch or feeling particularly broke, this is a fine recipe from the "More-with-Less Cookbook":

Combine in a saucepan:
1 3/4 c. white sugar (or organic, natural, etc.)
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 c. water

Bring to boil, cover and cook 1 minute.

Cool slightly.
Add:
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp maple

Cover saucepan for a few minutes as syrup cooks to melt down crystals; helps prevent syrup from crystallizing later in storage.

We use up to a full teaspoon of the maple. My husband likes a stronger flavor. This makes a very good tasting and thick syrup. I can't stand store bought. If not real, I make this. I have even been known to microwave it and it works fine that way too.

You can also make this with pure brwon sugar using 1 cup to 3 cups water and 5 tablespoons corn starch. When it cools a touch add a tsp of maple flavor. No white sugar or vanilla needed.

Here's another for fruit syrup. I haven't tried this. I don't know if you'd need that much lemon juice for all types of fruit but you can experiment.

Fruit Syrup

Combine in saucepan:
1/2-3/4 c. sugar
3 T. corn starch
Add:
2 c. water
Bring to boil, stirring constantly.
Add:
2 sliced fresh peaches (more options below)
Simmer until fruit is tender. Remove from heat and add:
2 T lemon juice

Option: Use mangoes, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, cherries, or pineapple. Canned or frozen fruit may be used - replace sugar and use juice to replace part of the water.

[abbeyej]

Nope, I'm anti-HFCS across the board. And don't forget that corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup are not one and the same.

Right, exactly. (Though, sigh, I do have a personal weakness for soda. I haven't had one since Christmas, but I won't swear I won't ever give in to my addiction again...)

[*anj*]

Right, exactly. (Though, sigh, I do have a personal weakness for soda. I haven't had one since Christmas, but I won't swear I won't ever give in to my addiction again...)
I know what you mean. Not very often, but every now and then I have a hankering for a Coke. I never drink soda, but sometimes I just wish I could have a cold Coke. But I can't drink soda anymore because of the HFCS. It just about makes me pass out, even in caffeinated drinks.

Hopefully when Passover comes this year I'll be able to find some Kosher for Passover Coke because it is sweetened with actual sugar.

[Dot]

I think there's a Dr Pepper that uses cane sugar instead of HFCS. I've seen them at some grocery stores in TX(Brookshire Bros) I also see those organic, natural type sodas, but have never tried them.

[*anj*]

You can get sugar sweetened soda in other countries. My friend went home to Mexico for a visit and brought back some Coke. It tasted better.

I know that even sugar sweetened soda isn't good for you, but for the occasional treat it's no biggie.

Sorry for the hijack!