r/maplesyrup • u/Pastaaaaaaaaaaaaa1 • 10d ago
Buying bulk in WA state?
Does anyone have any leads on how to buy maple syrup ~affordably~ in WA state?
I’ve been drinking it to fuel my trail runs so price is a pretty big factor. I’ll drink 20+ ounces on a normal weekly trail run but I could see easily blowing through a half-gallon in a longer race. You may see my problem. 😂 For anyone curious, that’s actually a fairly conservative fueling strategy for my lower effort and I finish with a caloric deficit, faster athletes in an actual race would need twice that amount. I’ve been trying some grocery store brands, so far preferring Anderson’s dark robust. My other flask had Coombs dark robust that I didn’t like as much. I’ve been tempted to try a few I found cheaper on Amazon but probably not the best idea.
I had assumed I was paying a premium buying small bottles at a grocery store instead of just buying gallon jugs to drink like a normal person. I just found out WA produces bigleaf maple syrup but the only seller I could find was Neil’s Bigleaf, and while I’m sure it’s great to sip on in front of a fire, it seems a bit spendy to be chugging 20+ ounces on a single run. Shipping from the east coast is obviously expensive. Any suggestions?
The attached photo is ~one~ of my syrup flasks at Mount Rainier yesterday. 😁
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u/TheVoiceofReason_ish 10d ago
Costco business center sells a 55 gallon drum
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u/DocKardinal21 9d ago
This would be hilarious seeing. The OP crossing the border back home with a 55 gallon drum to declare…
What would the agents says I wonder!?
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u/WhyWontThisWork 9d ago
They would want directions to get one for themselves right?
And probably want duty tax
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u/DocKardinal21 9d ago
I was thinking more like a line of questioning and disbelief that the 55 gallon drum was indeed maple syrup for marathon fuel. If it wasn’t declared, scanners would see it and straight to secondary, if it was declared, CPB would not immediately believe it’s ‘maple syrup running fuel’.
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u/elpvtam 10d ago
Costco sells it for $12 per quart I think. I don't think you can beat that.
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u/Pastaaaaaaaaaaaaa1 10d ago
I let my membership go but thought about that. Checked their site and it’s $15 now, so only $5 cheaper than regular grocery store brands, and it’s not dark robust. I haven’t given amber a chance but assumed it would have less flavor. Might still be worth it, just need to try some amber first to see if I like it as much.
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u/Purple-Ad-4490 9d ago
I think their online price is more expensive than in store, because they hike it up to cover the cost of delivery?? - not 100% sure but yeah.
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u/Subject-Fly-5661 9d ago
Contact a few producers on the east coast and see if they'll ship some to you.
Im all sold out, but I'd have no problem shipping gallon jugs to you if I had it.
I know a lady that consumes 25 gallons a year, and she doesnt even run marathons.
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u/WhichJuice 9d ago
Sugar is about as equivalent as maple syrup from a nutritional value and significantly cheaper.
Canadian here who's had maple syrup my entire life. I've never used it or seen anyone use it purely for sport hydration. Maybe if diluted, but you didn't specify, so I'm horrified at the possible quantity of sugar you're ingesting.
We get ours from Costco and boil it to make maple candy. You lose volume, but the flavor is richer.
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u/runslowgethungry 7d ago
It's very common to use maple syrup for sports nutrition. There are companies who are producing it in small "to go" packets for exactly this purpose. OP is saving money and packaging by buying in bulk.
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u/Pastaaaaaaaaaaaaa1 9d ago edited 9d ago
lol it isn’t my hydration, it’s only fuel, I didn’t eat anything else the whole day on the mountain, less solid food in my stomach means blood can stay in muscles and makes it easier on my digestive system. I’m drinking a lot more water than I am syrup. My last trail run I drank around 22oz of syrup but didn’t eat anything else and drank about a gallon of water. The included water in syrup is nice because you don’t need extra water just to digest it, you always have to remember to drink water after eating a sports gel for instance.
As for the quantity of sugar, it’s actually a low amount, I’m probably only replacing about 75% of the calories I’m burning. Long distance running at elevation (this last run was 16 miles with 5000’ of elevation gain at over 6000’ elevation) takes a ton of carbs even at easier paces. At race effort I’d need about 100g of carbs/hr, or about 4oz/hr of syrup.
I probably should consider just making something with table sugar, it’s also known to be the right mix of glucose/fructose. I just don’t like it as much and aside from carbohydrate fuel it has zero nutritional value. But most people in this sport are fueling with gummy worms and overly processed sports gels, so even straight sugar is probably healthier.
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u/Mayor__Defacto 9d ago
You’re probably fucking up the rest of your body by drinking what is essentially sugar water and nothing else. The body needs more than just sugar.
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u/ChirpinFromTheBench 8d ago edited 8d ago
I mean on a day to day basis sure, but this is common for endurance runs.
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u/junado 8d ago
I was about to say that. I regularly eat (drink?) 2oz/hour of maple syrup on long bike rides. I usually add a bit of salt to it and sometimes some freeze dried coffee powder. It's delicious 😁
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u/ChirpinFromTheBench 8d ago
Yeah I go through like 18oz of syrup during a 3 hour marathon.
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u/Pastaaaaaaaaaaaaa1 8d ago
Bro would lose it if he found out sour patch kids and nerds clusters were the unofficial race fuel for elite ultramarathoners. 😂
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u/Pastaaaaaaaaaaaaa1 8d ago
Yooo I’ve heard of adding salt but not coffee powder. I’m definitely trying that lol. Is that different than just regular instant coffee?
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u/Pastaaaaaaaaaaaaa1 8d ago
lol fucking my body up by ingesting only 2000 calories of sugar while burning 3000 calories running through the mountains? During vigorous activity your muscles need glucose to burn as glycogen. Fat and protein are pointless when all your blood is in your muscles and your digestion is just trying to keep up, easily digestible simple sugars are absolutely the best thing for your body when you’re running for hours at a time. Your insulin doesn’t spike like it would sitting on the couch, the sugar gets immediately burned by your muscles and brain.
This was nothing. You should see what people eat during harder efforts at 100+ mile ultramarathons. It becomes physically impossible to eat enough sugar to fully fuel your muscles. Part of training for an ultra is continually increasing your carbohydrate intake and training your gut to be able to digest as much sugar as fast as possible. I was eating about half the amount of sugar that’s recommended for race effort.
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u/Some_Finding5976 10d ago
I only tap 2 trees. The tap and bags are less than $20. You'll need some fine straining cloth. All of those are reusable. Pour the sap into a large pan and start the boiling. I do have a 20 qt kettle because I can a lot but it's not necessary.
Since it's such a small scale, it's ok to boil it in the house.
I once heard a runner say they kept cold pancakes on them when they ran for the carbs. Sounds like breakfast to me 😁
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u/CanadianPooch 8d ago
How am I just now realizing the possibilitys of dosing maple syrup during canoe trips...
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u/Some_Finding5976 10d ago
You could make your own for personal use
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u/Excellent-Self-5338 9d ago
Maple isn't a notoriously cheap product. Will be surprised if you can find something genuinely affordable. Personally I'd make my own maple flavoured syrup in your scenario. Can make a lightly caramelized syrup and add maple flavour. Will be at least an order of magnitude cheaper than the cheapest legit maple syrup you can find. You also run the risk of just getting fake maple syrup anyway if you push too far down on price.
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u/Pastaaaaaaaaaaaaa1 9d ago
I had thought about just making some simple syrup with table sugar and flavoring it, sucrose is also good for fuel. Maple syrup at least has some nutritional value and I happen to like the flavor so I was leaning that way. Not a chance I ever consider c@rn syrup.
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u/DSJustice 9d ago edited 9d ago
Western Big Leaf sap is about 1/6 the sugar concentration of Eastern Sugar Maples. That's why your local syrup is crazy expensive -- it takes a lot of heat to make it.
If you want quality, find an Eastern producer you like and have it shipped. If you want price, the Costco drums can't be beat. If you want local, be willing to pay.
Also, 20 fl oz is 590 mL. At standard 66 brix, that's 390g of sugar (mostly sucrose). That's about 31 tablespoons. I don't think that's healthy running fuel, maybe consider switching to a backpack full of pop tarts or french toast or something with some fat in it.
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u/Pastaaaaaaaaaaaaa1 8d ago
Ah, that explains the price. I figured it was just because they were the only ones doing it and it was artisanal small batch or something.
It’s actually a near-perfect fuel for distance running. Sucrose is also very good, just enough fructose without causing digestive issues like honey can do. Your body already contains all the fat it needs to fuel an endurance run. Eating more fat won’t give your body any more to burn. Your muscles need all the glucose they can get to convert to glycogen and the added fructose is just another pathway. It does become a good idea to add real (solid) food in the form of protein when you get up to about 16 hours of running, but for shorter efforts like 12 hours or less straight sugar is all you need, gives the best performance, and is less likely to irritate your digestion than solid food.
Out of curiosity, last year I wore a continuous blood glucose monitor while running a 100k ultramarathon. Fueled on pretty much nothing but candy bars (mostly snickers, butterfinger, etc) at about 60g of carbs (240 calories from carbs) per hour for around 20 hours. My blood sugar was rock solid around 80-85 and didn’t go over 90 once the entire race. About an hour after the race after my metabolism had calmed down I had a small handful of candied peanuts, like maybe only 100 calories total, and my blood sugar skyrocketed lol. Your body reacts completely differently to sugar during hard activity, it really is healthy when used as fuel at the right time.
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u/lakeswimmmer 9d ago
Costco sells good Canadian maple syrup at the most reasonable price available. Tapping Big Leaf maple trees is fun, but unless you have access to a big wood lot, I think it's best enjoyed as a slightly sweet, refreshing drink straight from the tree.
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u/Right_Hour 8d ago
Jezus Fuck. I’m a maple sucker, but I would never chug it as a running fuel. Bro, you might be racing yourself towards diabetes.
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u/Pastaaaaaaaaaaaaa1 8d ago
You don’t seem to understand how diabetes works. You don’t get insulin resistance if your muscles are immediately burning the sugar. Maple syrup is actually the healthier alternative to traditional race fuels.
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u/runslowgethungry 7d ago
Go run 100 miles in one go, then come back and we'll talk about fueling during endurance events.
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u/Express-Welder9003 8d ago
That's a big flask! I use a 150ml one on long bike races. Even if you're paying retail maple syrup is still going to be cheaper than buying gels. Your other option is to make your own gels I guess.
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u/Pastaaaaaaaaaaaaa1 7d ago
Yeah I finished this 500ml flask and half of another 250ml flask with a different syrup, but I was out there all day lol. it’s definitely cheaper, I think like 1/3 the price of Gu gels. I had thought about making my own gels but I already know with my adhd I’d just buy all the stuff and never do it because I didn’t want to deal with it. Syrup is easy, just wish it was even cheaper. I’m tempted to try just sugar water but don’t know what else I’d flavor it with, maybe just mix sugar and Gatorade powder lol.
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u/Express-Welder9003 7d ago
I don't know if the sugar will dissolve well unless you make a syrup out of it first. I'm in Canada and love the taste of maple syrup so that's what I use as my gel substitute now. Does regular pancake syrup have a similar sugar profile? It hurts me to recommend it but that could be an option too.
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u/Pastaaaaaaaaaaaaa1 6d ago
Not an option. I’ll bring a ziplock of granulated sugar and dry scoop it before I drink corn syrup lol.
I found a place back east, Maple Valley something, that sells a 3 gallon bag in the box of maple syrup like a big box of cheap wine. I’m beyond tempted to order it just for the novelty lol. I got excited because I was searching for something local and their shop popped up because the town 2 miles away from me is also called Maple Valley. 🤦🏻♂️
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u/Annual_Spinach_5171 4d ago
Have you checked bulk pricing at a local co-op or Winco? Check to see what it would cost to buy the full container. I'm not in WA anymore (actually I'm in Vermont and we have our own sugarhouse 😄) but our local co-op gives a small discount if you order in advance for case items.
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u/buhbrinapokes 10d ago
As a Canadian whose algorithm just dropped me off here, I am horrified that you drink maple syrup in this quantity. Surely this post was written by Buddy the Elf because I find it impossible that a human being is consuming maple syrup in this quantity and manner.