Vermont State Flavor

Maple from the Vermont Sugar Maple Tree Adopted: April 26, 1994

"Maple Syrup Time in Vermont,"
Saturday Evening Post Cover, February 17, 1945
Photographs, posters, and prints

Maple, from the Vermont sugar maple tree, became the state flavor, when Governor Howard Dean signed House Bill No. 868 on April 26, 1994.

The law went into effect on July 1, 1994.

Vermont is the only state that has passed an official state flavor into law. As the leading producer of maple syrup in the United States it is no wonder that maple was the flavor that was chosen. Though maple syrup comes to mind immediately when one thinks of maple flavor, maple flavor is found in many other foods from ice-cream to cheese to smoked turkey.

Vermont has designated, by law, specific guidelines that must be followed when labeling maple flavored products.

The term "maple flavored" may only be used when 100 percent of the flavoring material is a pure maple product.
If any artificial maple flavor is used, the label shall clearly and conspicuously state "artificial flavor."

Adopting maple, "from the Vermont sugar maple tree," as the official state flavor is an interesting way to draw attention to one of the small New England state's largest industries. As previously mentioned, Vermont is the leading producer of pure maple syrup in the nation and is quite proud of its position. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) it produced 1.14 million gallons in 2011. Its closest competitor, New York, produced about half that amount.

Vermont, the seventh smallest state produces over 40% of the maple syrup distilled in the United States.

Vermonters are protective of their maple industry. About one month after Governor Dean signed the bill adopting maple as the state flavor, the Vermont State Legislature adopted a joint resolution, the "Vermont Maple Embargo," criticizing unfair practices of the Canadian maple industry.

This is what State Senator Elizabeth Ready and five co-sponsors had to say about the Canadian maple industry.

NO. R-165. JOINT RESOLUTION RELATING TO VERMONT MAPLE EMBARGO.

(J.R.S. 94)

Offered by: Senator Ready of Addison County, Senator Bahre of Addison County, Senator Howrigan of Franklin County, Hudson of Franklin County, Illuzzi of Essex-Orleans County and Metcalf of Essex-Orleans County.

Whereas, the economic viability of the Vermont maple industry is threatened by unfair practices of the Canadian maple industry, which include:

release to the U.S. market by Canadian producers during the 1994 maple production season of Canadian maple syrup which was produced prior to the 1994 season, thereby undercutting current sales of Vermont maple production from the 1994 season, and

use by Canadian producers of the pesticide paraformaldehyde in an alleged 50 to 90 percent of their maple production, which can extend the maple production season by up to 20 percent, but which is legally banned in both Canada and the U.S., and

Whereas, the 1994 maple season for both Canada and Vermont has been exceptionally productive, thereby adding to an abundant supply of maple syrup on the U.S. market, and

Whereas, the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Canadian dollar is such that the price of Canadian maple syrup sold in the U.S. is one-quarter to one-third cheaper than for Vermont maple syrup, and

Whereas, the price received by Vermont producers for their maple syrup has in the last six months declined by approximately 25 percent as a result of the above conditions, and

Whereas, during the 1994 production season in Vermont, the cost of producing maple syrup has exceeded its sales price by approximately 15 percent, and

Whereas, current demand for maple logs for export from the state, and current prices offered for such logs, are at an all time high, which situation offers owners of Vermont maple orchards one means of receiving a short-term financial gain, but with disastrous long-term consequences for the Vermont maple industry, now therefore be it

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives:

That the General Assembly proposes that the President and United States Congress consider these serious problems and take immediate action consistent with the terms of the U.S. trade agreement with Canada concerning the importation to the U.S. of Canadian maple syrup and other maple products, with the objective being to bring about fair and reasonable prices in the U.S. market for maple syrup and other maple products from Vermont and other U.S. maple producing states, and be it further

Resolved: That the Secretary of State be directed to forward a copy of this resolution to U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy, U.S. Senator James Jeffords and U.S. Representative Bernard Sanders.

House and Senate Agreement: 05/24/1994

Act No: R165

Vermont Law

The following information was excerpted from the Vermont Statutes Online, Title 1, Chapter 11, Section 510.

Title 1: General Provisions
Chapter 11: FLAG, INSIGNIA, SEAL, ETC.
1 V.S.A. § 510. State flavor

§ 510. State flavor

The state flavor shall be maple from the Vermont sugar maple tree. (Added 1994, No. 139, § 1, eff. July 1, 1994.)

Sources...

The State of Vermont. The Vermont State Legislature. House Bill No. 868. Montpelier: The State of Vermont, 1994. Web. <http://www.leg.state.vt.us/database/status/summary.cfm?Bill=H.0868&Session=1994>.
Ready, Elizabeth. State of Vermont. Vermont State Legislature. Senate Joint Resolution No. 94. Montpelier: State of Vermont, 1994. Web. <http://www.leg.state.vt.us/database/status/summary.cfm?Bill=JRS094&Session=1994>.
United States of America. National Agricultural Statistics Service. Maple Syrup 2011. Concord: New England Agricultural Statistics, 2011. Print.
Shearer, Benjamin F. and Barbara S. State Names, Seals, Flags and Symbols: A Historical Guide Third Edition, Revised and Expanded. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 3 Sub edition, 2001.

Additional Information

Boiling down the sap the "old" way
Photographs, posters, and prints

How Maple Syrup is Made: The Official Site of Vermont Maple Industry, Vermont Maple Sugar Makers Association, and Vermont Maple Foundation.

Vermont Maple Syrup: The Official Site of Vermont Maple Industry, Vermont Maple Sugar Makers Association, and Vermont Maple Foundation.

More symbols & emblems: Complete list of official Vermont state symbols from NETSTATE.COM.

Sugaring
Jessie Haas

Sugaring, by Jessie Haas. 24 pages. Publisher: Greenwillow Books; 1st edition (October 31, 1996) Reading level: Ages 4 to 8. Nora and Gramp are collecting sap from maple trees to make maple syrup. The horses, Bonnie and Stella, are working hard, too, pulling the heavy sap tank through the snow from tree to tree. This third story about Nora and her grandparents brings the beautyof a Vermont farm in early spring vividly to life.

M Is For Maple Syrup
Cynthia Furlong Reynolds

M Is For Maple Syrup: A Vermont Alphabet, by Cynthia Furlong Reynolds. 40 pages. Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press; 1 edition (December 29, 2002) Reading level: Ages 6 and up. New England Vermonters will be welcoming its state alphabet book, titled M is for Maple Syrup. With colorful pages that focus the spotlight on the flora and fauna specific to Vermont (and Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream), the book utilizes a two-tiered educational format where the rhyming verse appeals to younger readers the substantive expository text proves an engaging tool for older students. In Vermont this fall, as it always is, L is for Lake Champlain and R is for the Red Clover, H is for Hermit Thrush and D is for Dairy.

Backyard Sugarin'
Rink Mann

Backyard Sugarin': A Complete How-To Guide, by Rink Mann. 96 pages. Publisher: Countryman Press; Third Edition edition (February 7, 2006) This little book swept maple sugarin' buffs off their feet when it first appeared. Like the previous editions, this one tells you how you can make maple syrup right in your own backyard without having to build a sap house or buy buckets, holding tanks, evaporators and other expensive paraphernalia. Provides detailed "how-to" information, and makes some new and noteworthy revelations-including tips sugarers across the country have shared with the author.

Making Maple Syrup
Noel Perrin

Making Maple Syrup: The Old Fashioned Way, by Noel Perrin. 32 pages. Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC (January 8, 1983) Bulletin A-51 - This Storey's Country Wisdom Bulletin feature 32 pages of practical, hands-on instructions designed to help you master the skills needed to produces real maple syrup quickly and easily.

Maple Sugar
Tim Herd

Maple Sugar - From Sap to Syrup: The History, Lore, and How-To Behind This Sweet Treat, by Tim Herd. 144 pages. Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC (February 26, 2011) A perfect gift for maple lovers! Savor the surprising history of maple sugaring, learn to identify the various kinds of maple trees, discover how to tap your own trees and make your own syrup, and indulge yourself with tempting recipes for old-fashioned treats like maple nut bread, maple eggnog, baked beans, maple nutmeg butternut squash, maple-glazed salmon, and pecan pie. What could be sweeter?