If you've been to your local grocery store, you may have noticed the selection of branded maple syrup products on the shelves. However, what you might not know is that many of these products are not pure maple syrup. That's right, the syrup you pour over your pancakes and waffles is often fake and misleading.
To ensure you're using real maple syrup, check the ingredients list. If it has just one ingredient - "Pure Maple Syrup" - then you're good to go. If there are numerous ingredients listed like the image to the right, the company is likely passing off a fake product as genuine maple syrup.
So, how is pure maple syrup made? It comes from maple trees that are 98% water and 2% natural sugar from the inside of the trees. By tapping the trees, sap is produced. This sap is boiled to remove the water and produce pure maple syrup. The syrup gets darker in color as the season progresses. It takes around 40 gallons of sap to produce one gallon of maple syrup.
The discovery of maple syrup dates back about 300 years. A Native American tribe threw an axe at a tree, causing sap to flow out. The tribe's wife boiled the liquid and discovered it made a great syrup for cooking. Today, we use maple syrup on pancakes, waffles, and in a variety of dishes.
When it comes to choosing the right grade of pure maple syrup, there are three types to consider:
So, what do you like to do with maple syrup? And which grade is your favorite? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Why aren’t shellac records as common as vinyl records? When did the “fad” of vinyl take over?
We come to find out, it wasn’t actually a fad. The dramatic shift from shellac to vinyl took place out of necessity. During the early years of World War II, the demand for shellac skyrocketed. Why?
Shellac wasn’t only used to produce records full of sweet-sounding melodies. It was also used to produce explosives.
When World War II began, the War Production Board, which was the government agency responsible for supervising war production under President Franklin Roosevelt, ordered a 70 percent cut in the production of new phonograph records.
Record production consumed about 30 percent of the nation’s supply of shellac. This cut in production of shellac records was replaced with the production of signal flares and explosives, as well as artillery shell coating.
Not only was there a dramatic cut in production of shellac records, there was also a “call to arms” – if you happened to have records that were broken, chipped, or with out-of-date melodies, you would have been asked to donate them for recycling. People were also encouraged to donate their records not only to aid with weaponry, but also to “boost soldier morale.”
Photo Cred: NY Times
This effort was so far wide-spread, that there were even events based on record-donations. For example, the William Penn Hotel hosted a dance called the “War Records Dance”, where the price of admission was five disks. By 1943, the American Legion collection post counted 25,000 donated discs.
As shellac was essentially phased out, vinyl took the spotlight. It had longer playing times, was lighter, and simply became the new “thing.”
We are proud to present our extensive collection of shellac Seventy Eights to add value to an existing collection or as the first record to get your party started.
]]>Yes, you read correctly, "on a shelf." If you have a luggage rack on your mid sized or even small car or SUV (or covered wagon), this could be knocked-down wrapped up and headed to home to be reassembled in all its grandeur.
The top, crown is removed, the back is slid up and away. The doors removed from the sides are stacked flat with the bottom board and the shelves. The ornate pieces can be removed and stored in a box for safe transport.
Would you believe this piece of furniture was removed from the attic in which it was discovered by one person. Truly a remarkable find and remarkable craftsmanship.
What makes French provincial furniture so popular? This type of furniture was made using exotic woods such as mahogany and rosewood. Distinguished by ornately carved embellishments and delicate features, French provincial furniture was popular back then and is still popular today.
We are admirers of method, material and craftsmanship. Now and again we stumble on a piece that has a historical story or ownership that makes it elevated in value.
Mostly we try to acquire fun and/or unique, pieces that serve a purpose. This store is a result of that admiration.
Books...take a current day paperback book in hand. In the other take a book, nearly any book from, let's say mid 1800's. Notice the spline work with its raised bands, the cover or designs on the fore-edge. This, a comparison basic in nature that expands into architecture and furniture.
The consumer, you and I, set the pricing. I utilize my purchasing time to find value in valuable items. I then provide them to a market with the anticipation someone will agree and align with my efforts. The antiques we present are not of less value because they are priced less than another merchant. This French Provincial Wardrobe allows me to demonstrate my point.
This piece has no known back story, it is however a remarkable piece of material, method and craftsmanship. The price currently on other sites is over $20,000 HIGHER than what we are asking.
Sometimes we miss the mark that warrants a backstory or artistic price. In that instance you and I are still aligned. You found a valuable item at a value.
Asking Price: $3,499.99
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