24 Summer 2025 | edibleseattle.com Neil’s Bigleaf Maple Syrup has become a coveted ingredient in the kitchens of discerning chefs, including those at Canlis, and a treasured treat for anyone fortunate enough to taste it. Lucky for me, we returned to the sugar barn for a taste test. Early in a run, the sap produces a lighter syrup full of vanilla notes, perfect to pour over a pile of pancakes. As the run continues, the syrup becomes darker and thicker, tasting like molasses with a rich caramel flavor. Many bakers covet this thicker concoction, including it as an essential ingredient in their pastries. The business side of syrup Devin manages their extensive and growing online presence, while Delight produces a newsletter that reaches over 6,000 eager fans. When word goes out that a new batch is ready, it sells out within days. Currently, placing an order online is the only way to secure a bottle, but trust me, come breakfast time, your pancakes never tasted better. Beyond the alchemy of syrup, Neil McLeod is deeply fascinated with the bigleaf maple itself. He’s passionate about promoting its cultivation and encouraging others to enter the syrup-making business. “More people making syrup is good for the environment,” he says. Maple trees, he explains, are an investment in the future. They sequester carbon from the atmosphere and aid in restoring soil and creek beds, effectively reducing erosion. With this in mind, their commitment to their trees goes beyond the syrup they harvest. The next chapter for the McLeods looks to the future with sustainable farming practices and reforestation programs. Hanging out in the sugar barn for an afternoon showed me that Neil’s Bigleaf Maple Syrup is more than just a sweetener, in this barn there is a unique story, as well as the quintessential terroir of the Pacific Northwest. Syrup bottles in hand, I leave the steaming, sugarsmelling barn looking at bigleaf maples with a new appreciation, and a hunger for something sweet. MaryRose Denton is a freelance travel writer who grew up in Seattle and now calls Anacortes her home. She enjoys writing about local culture, history and the area’s rich agriculture along with sustainability and wellness adventures. She is published in Sea le Re ned, State of Washington Tourism, NW Travel & Life, Irish Independent, Wander With Wonder and on her blog, MerakiTravels.org. Top: Neil sets lines for sap collection. Unlike sugar maples, bigleaf maples can have multiple sap runs a season, from November through March, depending on the weather. Right: The evaporator in the McLeods’ sugar barn. To produce just one gallon of bigleaf maple syrup, Neil and his family must boil down 60–100 gallons of sap. An evaporator makes a huge difference! Image courtesy of Neil’s Bigleaf Maple Syrup Image by MaryRose Denton
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