A Sweet Bike Ride in the Green Mountain State

Maple syrup and Vermont, the two are synonymous.  The mind can instantly picture the pristine snow touched forests and a simple tap scored into a tree trunk under which hangs a bucket collecting the harvest of Mother Nature.  The quiet tranquility of maple syrup farming…

Not so fast.

Then

Today the forests of Vermont are wrapped in a serpentine web of plastic pipes and vacuum pumps.  A good way to get laughed out of the local Grange Hall is to say you still farm maple syrup with a tap and bucket.  The world needs syrup and Vermonters want to bring it to the masses.  Since 2000 the amount of syrup harvested in Vermont has tripled.  The new vacuum pump and plastic tubing system sucks the sap from trees twice as fast and with twice as much yield.  In 2007, the combined value of the Vermont maple syrup harvest was $20 million, this year it will exceed $40 million.

and now

In a previous generation raw sap was boiled at high temperatures in order to remove the naturally occurring water.  What remained was pure sugary goodness.  This was a small batch, time consuming endeavor.  Now tanker truck loads of raw sap are pumped into reverse osmosis machines devoid of human labor.  Horses and mules used to carry the harvest.  Gallons upon gallons of syrup are perfected daily, hour after hour. 

On average one farmer using these new technological methods can tap 100,000 trees alone.  With the advancements in harvesting technology and the money being seen in the industry everyone is getting into the act.  This year Vermont will have 3,000 maple syrup farmers, a 33% jump from 2003.  Most of these farmers will process and ship well over 30,000 gallons of syrup each.      

Syrup isn’t all sugar.  It is perhaps America’s oldest natural sweetener.  Native tribes were using syrup as a flavor additive since long before European contact in the New World.  While not exactly a good-for-you food it is much better than sugar, corn syrup and of course the fake stuff that comes in the packets we all steal from diners. Maple syrup contains an abundant amount of naturally occurring minerals such as calcium, manganese, potassium and magnesium. The slow liquid also provides beneficial antioxidants. Antioxidants help prevent cancer, support immune systems, lower blood pressure and slow the aging process.  


Maple syrup also has some of the same healthy compounds found in blueberries and flax seed.  The stuff also contains one of the lowest calorie levels and has been shown to have healthy glycemic qualities.

And as the SBT sees things the best way to capture all of this in the state is on a bicycle.  Known for its Green Mountains and large ski resorts the best place to start may be the granddaddy of all Vermont ski mountains: Killington.  For the adventurous rider start in the town of Killington and head to another skiing Mecca: Stratton Mountain. The ride is 61 miles (almost a metric century) with 4,383 feel of climbing.  Traffic should be light and you may not see many non-riders; Vermont is the second-least populated state in the Union.  The last 3.5 miles of the ride is up Stratton Mountain Road, an ascent of 10.6%. 

If you need more of this, say over four days in August then visit this website: www.vtchallenge.com for information on the annual Vermont Challenge Bike Ride.

Vermont has a series of scenic byways perfect for bike riding and we have a video with more details on our website at www.stickybottleteam.net.