If you pour real maple syrup over your breakfast pancakes, it might have come from a maple tree located in Michigan. Approximately 44,000 gallons of maple syrup were produced here in 2000, ranking Michigan seventh in the country for production of this sweet, rich sap. Vermont is America's leading producer.

The collection of sap begins in early spring each year, when the days begin to warm but temperatures still dip below freezing at night. The trees must be at least 10 inches in diameter to be tapped, and as the tree grows, more taps are added.

It takes approximately 40 gallons of sap to produce one gallon of syrup. The excess water is boiled off in order to concentrate the sugars. A container of maple syrup can be stored on the shelf until it is ready to be used, but once it is opened, it should be stored in the refrigerator.

Michigan Maple Syrup Association