Stanley's Sugarbush is located on the western edge of North American Hardwood Forest in the glacial lakes region of west central Minnesota. We have been making maple syrup since 1990. From Minnesota to Maine along the Canada/US border, generally speaking, is where the "sugar maple tree" grows. It is the only place in the world where it's seed has flourished. It is a area dotted with over 200 lakes that were left behind by the retreating glaciers of the last ice age.
Mankind has been using sweetners since the beginning of time, but it was the Native Americans who discovered the sweetness of the sap from the sugar maple tree. The early settlers also learned of this spring ritual from them. The sweet syrup was part of the menu at the 1621 Thanksgiving in Plymouth for the Pilgrims. The Iroquois nation were known to celebrate spring with "maple moon" or "sugar month" festivals. The Algonquin name for maple sugar is Sinsibuckwud ("drawn from the wood"), while the Ojibway called it sheesheegummavvis ("sap flows fast").
"The gift of the sugar maple trees is from benevolent Providence."