Other Sweeteners
- Brown sugar
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Brown sugar follows the same production process as white sugar. Molasses is added at the very end, giving brown sugar its color and name.
- Agave nectar
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Agave nectar comes from the juices of agave plants, such as the blue agave. Agave plants are grown for 7 to 10 years before they reach maturity. Upon reaching maturity, the stalks (5 to 6 feet tall) are cut and the core of the agave plant grows further before being taken out. The core is then steamed and pressed (or chopped) so that juice emerges. Agave nectar is made by filtering the juice through enzymes and then heating it.
- Honey
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Honey is produced by bees, which drink nectar from flowers and tree blossoms. The bees then regurgitate the nectar when they return to their hive. Later, they chew, swallow, and regurgitate this nectar again, repeating this process several times. Natural enzymes in the bees turn the nectar into honey. Eventually, this regurgitated nectar—honey—is stored in the honey comb and sealed off with wax.
- Maple syrup
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Maple syrup is produced through a simple method that has been used for hundreds of years. First, a “tap” is inserted into a maple tree near the ground. Sap from the maple tree flows out through the tap and into a collection bucket. The sap is mostly water, but it is boiled until the water evaporates. The remaining thick, viscous liquid is maple syrup.
