March 6, 2025
Whether or not it is organic, maple syrup is made by collecting sap from maple trees and boiling it down to sweet syrup. It’s our local natural sweetener!
You may wonder what makes certified organic syrup organic
- Vermont organic sugarmakers follow specific organic principles, both in the sugarbush (the forest) and the sugarhouse (where sap becomes syrup)
- A certification agency checks the entire maple syrup production process once a year
Organic certification is one way to communicate how food (even syrup!) is produced so that we know more about what we are buying and eating, how it is grown, and how the land is treated for the health of all future generations.
To boil it down, three of the main things that are important for Vermont organic sugarmakers include:
The Forest
Syrup production begins in the forest! Taking care of the forest is at the heart of a sugarmaker’s work. An organic sugarer has a long-term forest management plan to ensure they create and maintain a healthy forest ecosystem. This includes fostering a diversity of plants and animals, protecting soil and water quality, planning for tree regeneration, and more. Sometimes an organic sugarbush can look “messy” because brush is left on the ground for beneficial animal habitat and to enrich the soil. The health of the whole forest and its associated components are the priorities in organic production.
The Trees
Sap is collected from sugar maple and red maple trees. To gather the sap from each tree, a hole is drilled into the tree and a tap is inserted into the hole so that the sap can flow into collection tubing. Tapping a tree can impact the tree’s lifespan, ability to grow, and/or resilience to disease and pest pressure. Organic sugarers follow rules that consider the tree size (diameter), only tapping mature trees and limiting the number of taps per tree. Taps also need to be removed from the trees within a certain time frame when the season ends to allow the tree to heal. These organic practices ensure the health and longevity of the trees.
The Syrup
Organically approved products are used in the sugarhouse. Did you know that all sugarmakers use a defoamer when boiling their sap into syrup? A defoamer is a product used in small quantities to decrease the amount of foam (bubbles!) when the sap is boiling. This is needed so that the pans of hot maple sap do not boil over or burn, making the boiling more efficient while maintaining flavor. A fat is used to break up the bubbles (you know the saying: oil and water don’t mix). In the past, when many sugarmakers were also dairy farmers, butter was commonly used! But now, there are synthetic chemical-based defoamers and vegetable oils. Certified organic syrup is typically processed with certified organic vegetable oil for the defoamers.
And More!
There is so much more that goes into syrup production in general and organic sugarmaking specifically – like filtering the syrup, storing it, using various kinds of equipment and technology, cleaning the sugarhouse, preventing contamination, keeping good records, and preparing for the annual organic inspection.
Maple syrup producers who go through the organic certification process commit themselves to the highest standards of environmental stewardship and purity of their maple products.
Learn more by visiting a sugarhouse near you, taking a tour, tasting the syrup, and asking the sugarmakers about their process – from forest to jug! Use our interactive directory to find an organic sugarhouse near you!
Want to learn more? Check out this short animated video about organic maple!
And if you'd like to take a deep dive into the technical details about the organic maple standards, see the Vermont Organic Farmer’s webpage with compiled resources for sugarmakers.
