Maple syrup goes 24/7
Maple syrup fills a bucket in a Vermont sugar house. (Globe photo)
In Vermont, where mountains are green and the cheddar is sharp, maple syrup isn't just about slathering on pancakes anymore.
That's the view, anyway, of Steve Wheeler, who with his wife and an MBA degree taps 5,700 maple trees in northern Vermont, where syrup season is in its final stretch.
Demand for syrup is increasing, and one Wheeler theory for the rise is the proliferation of TV cooking shows, which have inspired consumers to be more adventurous.
Amid all this culinary experimentation, maple syrup has the potential to break loose from the breakfast nook and emerge as an all-purpose condiment that can spice up salads, dinners, and desserts, Wheeler said during a recent telephone interview from Jed's Maple Products, his family's business in Westfield.
To hear Wheeler tell it, maple peanut butter sauce can induce eye-rolling experiences when used as a topping on banana splits, and the family's retail website at jedsmaple.com is having success with a salad-dressing line.
Indeed maple syrup is proving versatile enough to elbow its way into entree section of the dinner menu, at least in the form of glazes and sauces; according to Wheeler, a favorite recipe for maple garlic pork chops will make the fussiest of uber chefs jump and shout.
Rick Marsh is seeing something similar at Vermont Maple Outlet in Jeffersonville, where a brisk seller for his family business is a frosting-like maple cream spread for toast and bagels.
It isn't just new uses for an old standby that are driving demand. The Internet means Vermont maple businesses can sell directly to out-of-state consumers. And the natural food movement has helped make pure maple syrup a culinary darling.
The Vermont Maple Sugar Makers' Association counts 2,000 maple sugar makers in the state, and a Vermont state agency estimates that maple products add $190 million annually to the state's economy.
In 2006, Vermont produced 460,000 gallons of maple syrup, 32 percent of the US total, according to an estimate by an arm of the US Department of Agriculture.
As with any farming operation, syrup production is at the mercy of the weather.
When conditions are good, Vermont can produce between 475,000 and 500,000 gallons of syrup a year, said Henry Marckres, chief of the Vermont Agency of Agriculture Consumer Protection, who expects this year's production will be a bit below those levels because of some unfavorable weather.
In 2006, Wheeler's syrup fetched $38 a gallon, and Marsh hopes a gallon this year will sell in the "mid 40s."
Holding prices in check are mainstream brands sold in supermarkets that contain more corn syrup than maple syrup, Wheeler said.
But when it comes to pure maple syrup, Vermont's reputation is prized.
Said Marckres, "The name Vermont means quite a lot in maple world."
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)
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