10 small batch maple syrups you need to try

by Kae Lani Palmisano for USA TODAY 10Best

Though maple syrup from Canada is of high quality and high quantity, not all artisan maple syrup comes from the Great White North. Small batch maple syrup producers throughout the United States are tapping into the industry, and they’re in places that you’d least expect!

Hawk Meadow Farm - Finger Lakes, New York

This little farm produces their own small-batch maple syrup. They use the traditional method of wood-firing their syrup, which cooks it while adding a caramelized, subtly smoked flavor.

Bobo’s Mountain Sugar - Weston, Vermont

Image courtesy of Skye Chalmers Like a fine wine, Bobo’s Mountain Sugar is defined by its terroir – a bedrock rich in limestone, shale and granite deposits – and its wood-fired processing.

Triple Creek Maple Products - Cranesville, PA

In order to be legally called maple syrup in the state of Pennsylvania, the syrup needs to have at least 66% sugar content. Triple Creek's maple syrup is even thicker and sweeter with a sugar content at an average of 67%.

Sweet Sourland Farms - Hopewell, New Jersey

Image courtesy of Charlize Katzenbach Tapping over 300 red maples and over 100 sugar maples, Sweet Sourland Farms produces a modest haul of 80 to 125 gallons of maple syrup.

Neil’s Bigleaf Maple Syrup - Acme, Washington

Those passionate about sugaring have figured out that the bigleaf maple actually produces some pretty good maple syrup. Two hours north of Seattle, Neil’s Bigleaf has been cooking up syrup since 2011.

Hilltop Boilers Maple Syrup - Newfield, Maine

Image courtesy of Jere Gray To get a taste of Maine’s maple syrup, try the award-winning Hilltop Boilers Maple Syrup. The owner has spent his entire life in a sugarhouse and knows nearly everything there is to know about sugaring.

Bissell Maple Farm - Jefferson, Ohio

The Bissell family has been making maple syrup since the late 1800s. Six generations later, the Bissells have an established sugarhouse where they’ve got around 1,500 trees tapped to harvest the sweet stuff.

Anderson’s Maple Syrup - Cumberland, Wisconsin

Image courtesy of Anderson's Maple Syrup Wisconsin is mostly known for its cheese and dairy production, but word should get out about its maple syrup. And Anderson’s Maple Syrup is pure – it’s the delicious sap, straight from their Wisconsin maple trees.

Fort Stevenson State Park - North Dakota

Believe it or not, North Dakota has a unique history in maple syrup, but instead of tapping maples, they tap the boxelder tree. The boxelder (aka Manitoba maple) produces a little less sap than its cousin, the maple tree, but the syrup produced has a buttery taste to it.

Waterfall Farm - Warrensville, North Carolina

Waterfall Farm is one of the southernmost commercial maple producers in the country. The sugar in southern maples tends to be lower on average than maple trees in the north. It’s watery and mildly sweet.