How was your summer? Fast? Mine too. Sad about that? Yeah…me too…this was a pretty big summer for us as we welcomed our new baby girl about halfway through it.
Any big plans before it’s time to face the realities of Autumn? My kids have some big ideas…some of which I smile faintly and nod and others (those that involve gas-powered riding toys) strike fear in my heart.
I do want to send the summer out with a bang, though. I need something special and memorable that will help the kids ease from summer to fall.
What is maple syrup and what do the grades mean?
What is Maple Syrup?
Maple syrup is made by reducing the sap from maple trees into a highly concentrated sugar suspended in water. At harvest, maple sap is a watery liquid–not thick and sticky like other saps. The sap is then boiled until most of the water evaporates. Impurities rise to the top during the boiling and are skimmed off. When the sugar content exceeds 67%, it is considered maple syrup.
The color and strength of flavor is dependent upon when the maple syrup was harvested and the growing conditions of the maple trees for that year. Lighter syrups are harvested earlier in the season.
Maple Syrup Grade
The USDA assigns grades to the maple syrup sold in the the U.S. These grades are Grade A Light Amber, Grade A Medium Amber, Grade A Dark Amber, and Grade B.
Storage
Maple syrup must be refrigerated for freshness (even unopened bottles). Freeze maple syrup to extend its life indefinitely. Refrigerated syrup in glass containers will maintain quality for a year. Syrup in plastic bottles can be refrigerated for three to four months.
Have you ever explored some of the deals you can find if you buy through a liquidation outlet? Perhaps being a wholesale distributor could provide good deals not only for your family, but you could profit from them as well if you could find items to market. Especially online, selling can be lucrative and easy to achieve. My city has a liquidation distributor come and set up its wares in a parking lot every summer and it’s always interesting to visit and see what unusual deals you can find.
We are in pare-down mode. With a newborn showing signs of colic and general unhappiness, my time is at a premium lately. All the same, there are some household tasks I won’t forego. For instance, I insist on clean toilets and sinks. No, we don’t have Hansgrohe faucets, but what we do have sparkles, thank you very much. What household tasks do you consider non-negotiable…you know…you do regardless of how swamped you are?
