Talk:Birch syrup

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[edit] Price vis-a-vis maple syrup

This text was just removed:

• "approximately five times as expensive as maple syrup."

Is it incorrect? If correct, the information should stay. Badagnani (talk) 21:31, 28 November 2007 (UTC)

• It's correct in Alaska. Deirdre (talk) 22:49, 28 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Removals

The following text was just removed:

• "using low-heat, low-pressure extraction, as the sap is prone to scorching. "

this is true: the fructose makes it harder to reduce using the boiling method, because it scorches more easily. Deirdre (talk) 23:10, 28 November 2007 (UTC)

• "Birch sap is also acidic, so the metal taps, buckets, or tanks used in maple sugaring will give birch sap a metallic taste, and plastic or ceramic tools and utensils must be used."

Why was this text added in the first place, if both things are incorrect? Badagnani (talk) 21:32, 28 November 2007 (UTC)

• so far as I know, both of these are correct, and should not have been removed. I did research on this subject for an article published in Agroborealis (see references). Birch sap is perhaps not very acidic, but it is slightly acidic. According to the birch syrupmakers association best practices, food-grade plastic, ceramic, or stainless steel should be used. Deirdre (talk) 22:52, 28 November 2007 (UTC)

just looked this one up: maple sap has a pH around 7 (neutral), whereas birch sap has a pH around 6 (slightly acid). I'm also checking with Kimberly Maher, who is working on her PhD here at the University of Alaska and analyzes the cations and other chemical aspects of birch sap as part of her work. It may be that there is a geographic difference: there aren't many limestone soils in Alaska, whereas there are in, say, New England. Deirdre (talk) 23:10, 28 November 2007 (UTC)

• Maher has not yet examined pH, but when I asked her about this, she said that she'd put it on her list of things to examine this spring! So we'll know for sure exactly how acidic birch sap is in a few months, but in the meantime, there is evidence for the above (i.e., a slightly acidic pH value). I have also added several other links from different companies, so this doesn't act as an advertisement for Kahiltna Birch Works, including some good information from Birch Boy Gourmet Syrups in Haines, where they work with a slightly waterier sap (wateryer? looks funny both ways). Plus, I found the application to the FDA for a legal standard for birch syrup in the US; the PDF has a bunch of good info on it, too. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Deirdre (talk • contribs) 18:25, 6 December 2007 (UTC)