Object Details
- Description
- Maple sugar is produced by boiling sap to evaporate the water until past the point of syrup production. It then can be placed into wooden or metal molds to harden into cakes to be used later. Early settlers in New England had greater access to maple sugar, while early abolitionists often promoted the use of maple sugar versus cane sugar due to the slave labor used in cane sugar production. While maple sugar production could never compete with cane sugar in terms of scale, it was often easier and cheaper for those on the northeaster frontier to produce.
- Maple syrup production is one of the few agricultural processes in North America that was not a European import. Sap is typically collected from the Sugar, Red or Black maple, though it can be collected from other tree types. Northeastern North America is the most common area for maple syrup production, with Vermont, New York and Maine leading production in the U.S. Once the sap is collected, it must be boiled down to reduce the water content. It can require anywhere from 20-50 liters of sap to make one liter of syrup, depending on the sugar content of the sap. Each tree is capable of producing 35-50 liters of sap.
- Location
- Currently not on view
- Data Source
- National Museum of American History
- Credit Line
- Dr. Mary E. Green
- Physical Description
- metal (overall material)
- Measurements
- overall: 3 1/2 in; x 8.89 cm
- Object Name
- Molding Pan, Maple Sugar
