The Crown Maple Guide to Maple Syrup - How to tap and cook with nature's original sweeter by Robb Turner with Jessica Carbone

The Crown Maple Guide to Maple Syrup - How to tap and cook with nature's original sweeter by Robb Turner with Jessica Carbone released next month by Abrams is surely a sweet book! Plenty of recipes, with a large story of the use of the maple syrup and firstly the personal story of the Crown Maple Company and his founder: Robb Turner.

Founded 5 years ago Mr Robb was born in Illinois, in a farm, and he grew up feeding domestic animals and appreciating the agricultural works although later he became something else in life.

Different life for sure, the land and the idea to return at the origin always in his mind.

Once he thought so that he would have wanted to buy a portion of forest for him and his family of maple trees in the East Coast.
Realized this dream he thought: why leaving the rest of these forests in the hands maybe of other men who potentially could be tempted of destroying them?
He bought other forests as well.
And more, and more and more.

The idea of becoming a business man in the maple syrup field agricultural industry at first didn't touch his mind but later, he started to consider this eventuality less hypothetically.
Why not?

Robb explains that the process of extraction of maple syrup from the tree during all these centuries still intact. Progress didn't add anything else. Thank Lord...
The most delicious maple tree is the sugar maple and it gives the best maple syrup.
It is truly considered a real food for a lot and a lot of delicious cakes, cookies, and many other meals, included meat.

124 varieties of maple in the territory of USA and Canada, maple tree can be found in the East Coast of the USA, but also in Missouri, Tennessee. It's possible to find varieties of these trees  in the States of Washington and Oregon.


The sugar, so loved is extracted from the tree at the 10%. They're vascular plants like other types of trees and this percentage of syrup won't damage the stability of the plant. This one for the tree in fact is its nutriment.

Described the propagation of the syrup in the maple tree these trees can become tall also 90 feet.

Micmac and other native Americans tribes started to enjoying the sugar maple from centuries.

There were also special occasions in which the maple syrup was celebrated with special sugar dances by the Native Americans.

Considered a blessed food by the Native, a great supplement of caloric energy maple syrup can be good for opening obstructions at the liver and spleen. Considered a sort of manna European learnt from the Native American the process of extraction of the maple syrup from the tree and Columbus understood pretty soon the importance of maple syrup.

Maple syrup more used then salt in Native American cooking and in particular with pork meat.

Nineteenth century brought the first industrialization of maple syrup, in the past a story of: "Oh you have a forest of maple. How much syrup did you extract? Do you have some syrup for me as well?" As it happens yet with beekeepers in our part of the world.

Industrialization produced enthusiasm. It wasn't anymore necessary to knock at the door of our neighbor. A store would have sold it. News spread everywhere: maple syrup better than sugar people fell in love for it and  maple syrup became the favorite one of the Americans for their dishes, salt or sweet.

As it happen often when a product is so successful the fraud imminent: it was 1887 when in Minnesota a guy produced the first fake maple syrup. The guy added 45% of maple syrup and 55% cane sugar.
The so-called Long Cabin Syrup particularity was that it was very cheap. The story induced some suspects. The real maple syrup more expensive.

once discovered the truth the NYT scandalized wrote a vibrant article against this practice adding that anyway people would recognize the real maple syrup.

At the end the polemic was sorted out by the Congress: OK imitations but producers must tell to the ingenuous consumers what they are selling to them.

In 1906 it was asked at the producers of maple syrup to label their products with the list of the ingredients. 

Maple syrup can be surely a substitute for the richness of all its component of sugar but can be also taken as...multi-vitamin!
Like for honey every year is a different year for maple syrup in term of taste. Maple syrup is used by vegan for the richness of vitamins and because it is versatile with veggies and fruit.

A portion of the book is dedicated at the art of growing, tapping and then the final part will bring us directly on...the table!

Breakfast and Breads, Meat, Poultry and fish,  Vegetables and grains, Snack, Beverages, Desserts the final stunning, beautiful, delicious part of a story long centuries of the maple syrup that bringus in the...kitchen! for discovering thanks to delicious dishes all the best creations for transforming your breakfast, lunch, snack or dinner in a maple syrup celebration.

Enjoy, it, happy meal and remember to consume everyday some maple syrup because rich of vitamins.
Personally I drink it with water.
Without any doubt this book is  a great wonderful gift for someone in love for cooking and baking. It will be very appreciate because very informative, sometimes technical, but always, always intriguing.

Thanks to Netgalley and Abrams for this book!!!


Anna Maria Polidori