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Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: BWCA Food and Recipes :: Powdered Maple Syrup vs Sugar/ Brown Sugar
 
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nctry
02/07/2016 08:30PM
 
Well a year later I bit the bullet and ordered some powdered maple syrup. Wow, is that good! We're trying to get weight way down on our PMA run in May. I don't think I'll ever go back. I have one or two pieces of bacon, two eggs and a pancake about every morning. When on the trail the two eggs is a quarter cup of ova easy and the bacon is the pre cooked.
 
wingnut
02/08/2016 08:15AM
 
Could you put up a link for the powdered syrup?
 
NotLight
01/22/2015 01:46PM
 
You can make thin scones or biscuits from a mix instead of pancakes. Less mess. Add dried sweetened berries (craisins, raisins, dried blueberries) and maybe powdered sugar instead of syrup. Again way less mess. But, not really the same.


You can use the berries or raisins in place of jam too. Way less mess. But, also not really the same.


The fruit roll ups seems like a good idea.

 
tpember
01/23/2015 05:07PM
 
We put peanut butter on our pancakes.
 
Spartan2
01/14/2015 04:36AM
 
Maple syrup has a lower glycemic index than refined sugar, and thus is supposed to be healthier. I would think if the powder is real maple it would be the same. We take real maple syrup on our trips, but we are not concerned about the weight. We don't use artificially sweetened products, for the most part, even though Spartan1 is diabetic, as he doesn't want to consume the chemicals. If we take jam, we take the regular kind (no high-fructose corn syrup) in small packets from Packit Gourmet, or the all-fruit kind sweetened with fruit juice.
 
nctry
02/11/2016 08:24AM
 
Yes Kerry G. And there are different uses for it too. 1 lb is about three cups... Maybe a tad more. I use just under a quarter cup for my pancake which is made with 1/2 cup mix. Expensive? A little... But with savings on other areas not so bad for all the good flavor.
 
SaganagaJoe
02/13/2016 11:23AM
 
quote Swampturtle: "As I was checking out the Vermont Country Store site I found something unusual, they have blocks of maple sugar that you can grate like cheese with a grater. It is how they used to preserve & carry in the good old days.



I like the idea of making my own sugar, thanks for the cool video.



Maple block



Here is the link to the powder/sugar



Maple sugar "



That's clever, thanks!
 
billconner
02/13/2016 12:55PM
 
I don't do pancakes often on canoe trips but if I do, I just pack the real stuff.
 
Swampturtle
02/13/2016 10:08AM
 
As I was checking out the Vermont Country Store site I found something unusual, they have blocks of maple sugar that you can grate like cheese with a grater. It is how they used to preserve & carry in the good old days.


I like the idea of making my own sugar, thanks for the cool video.


Maple block


Here is the link to the powder/sugar


Maple sugar
 
nctry
01/12/2015 03:18PM
 
Maple Syrup Powder is pretty expensive, but I'm thinking of reducing as much sugar in my diet as possible. Maple Syrup is a sugar too, am I right? But does it have the negative effects regular sugar has?

Can a person make a dried jam that can be reconstituted. Or would jam or jelly made into fruit roll ups sandwiched in a couple pancakes work pretty good.

My next experiment...
 
OldFingers57
01/12/2015 04:22PM
 
I've found sugar free syrup at some hotels in small packets. Plus I've seen large plastic bottles of sugar free syrup at Wal-Mart.
 
inspector13
02/08/2016 11:56AM
 
I’m not quite sure if by "powdered maple syrup" that nctry means Maple Sugar, but I’ve seen maple sugar pretty cheep at Trader Joe’s in the past.

Edit: ...And the prices I've seen for Maple Sugar on the internets are about a dollar or two an ounce.


 
Swampturtle
02/08/2016 12:16PM
 
quote inspector13: "I’m not quite sure if by "powdered maple syrup" that nctry means Maple Sugar, but I’ve seen maple sugar pretty cheep at Trader Joe’s in the past.


Edit: ...And the prices I've seen for Maple Sugar on the internets are about a dollar or two an ounce.


"



There are grades in the sizes of the grain, so sugar is a bigger grain than powdered which is more pulverized and possibly more concentrated in flavor. Other than that, I believe it is the same.


Pack-it gourmet & Frontier sells it on Amazon, note that they have the different styles listed. I'd be interested in the info too since there is so much product out there and lots of reviews only mention using it in their rib rub. (Yum)


Pack it gourmet
 
butthead
02/08/2016 01:22PM
 
Do it yourself Youtube I have not tried this myself. The amount of maple syrup I go thru is minimal, 2 to 4 ounces a trip. So I do not mind packing syrup.


butthead
 
Swampturtle
02/08/2016 01:30PM
 
quote butthead: " Do it yourself Youtube I have not tried this myself. The amount of maple syrup I go thru is minimal, 2 to 4 ounces a trip. So I do not mind packing syrup.



butthead"



FYI...sugar shacks/houses exist because boiling syrup & extracting the moisture can result in sticky maple steam in your kitchen.
 
MagicPaddler
01/12/2015 05:41PM
 
I use sugar free jam or jelly on pancakes. Netrition.com has several. Select Low carb then breakfast food. The preserves are good did not like the sugar free syrup as well as what I got in the grocery store. The low carb pancakes are soso.
 
wingnut
02/08/2016 04:56PM
 
Gave it a shot and it turned out pretty well. Didn't take long at all and what really surprised me was that I started with just over 1/3 cup syrup and ended up with the same amount of sugar.





It was a little chunky right out of the pan so I ran it through the blender. Ended up a fine powder for the most part.



 
myceliaman
02/08/2016 05:08PM
 
Maple syrup certainly has a lower glycemic value then sugar. High fructose corn syrup is really the worst of all sweeteners. High fructose has a high peak with an instantaneous dramatic fall think of a narrow triangle. Maple syrup has a gradual rise with a gradual fall in your glycemic levels think of the letter u turned upside down and elongated. Cane sugar falls in between. We just bring maple syrup in a plastic squeeze top bottle put in a ziplock. It's delicious and a great way to start a morning. It's worth the minimum added weight it's a portage not the Appalachian trail. 95+% of your traveling involves a canoe. I think folks get a bit carried away with weight in many cases on BWCA trips.!!
 
wingnut
02/08/2016 03:42PM
 
I keep imagining a quart of syrup leaking into the food pack creating a sticky mess, making the powdered maple sugar look like a safer alternative plus the powder would be more versatile to add to other food.
I've never kept track of how much syrup I use for a pancake breakfast but I think 4oz would just be a starter. Good video on maple sugar making, I think I'll try it.
 
KerryG
02/08/2016 07:40PM
 
This is interesting. When my wife and I do our extended trips - and we love our maple syrup - we bring almost a litre and a half of the brown gold. But it weighs a lot and there is always the risk of leakage (although to be honest the nalgene bottles are pretty good at keeping it contained.) However, the idea of saving 2 or 3 pounds is appealing. I see where Frontier brand sells 1 lb of maple syrup powder for $20. I plan to order some and see how it tastes.
 
nctry
02/08/2016 08:10PM
 
I use a tad of syrup every day. My trips are typically 10 - 21 days. Like Kerry I'm as worried about leakage as weight. I got mine from www.vermontcountrystore.com


And my Bwca trips are like a dress rehearsal for bigger trips for me. I like to try different things out. I agree that weight can be an obsession for many. I need to work on this more than most people. Last couple years I tried new menu items and end up taking too much. I'm working hard to reverse this trend I have going.
 
KerryG
02/08/2016 10:02PM
 
quote nctry: "I use a tad of syrup every day. My trips are typically 10 - 21 days. Like Kerry I'm as worried about leakage as weight. I got mine from www.vermontcountrystore.com




That would be maple sugar as opposed to maple powder?