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My absolute favorite is maple syrup but that's probably because I am biased towards my home made maple syrup. Second is honey that I buy from a local farmer.

I am planning to try and grow sugar beets for the first time next year and see how they like it here and if on such a small scale it's a viable source of sugar/molasses
 
There was a flea market if memory serves by Blountville. There was these old boys that sold sorghum in mason jars. I think they grew it, squeezed it and cooked it down. I haven't been there for at least 10 years.
 
For me it is usually honey. We have a neighbor/friend who is a beekeeper, and sells his honey in local stores. I use very little sugar.

Rebecca: I claim a party foul. 😉 The maple syrup you get is light years better than anything the rest of us can get. If I could get that I would put it on my Cheerios every morning. I wouldn't care if my A1C was 15. I used to spend a lot of time in Montreal. They had brown sugar cubes in restaurants I couldn't resist. That was the only place I ever put sugar in my coffee.
 

Type
Glycemic Index
MaltodextrinSugar110
MaltoseSugar105
DextroseSugar100
GlucoseSugar100
TrehaloseSugar70
HFCS-42Modified Sugar68
SucroseSugar65
CaramelModified Sugar60
Golden SyrupModified Sugar60
Inverted SugarModified Sugar60
Refiners SyrupModified Sugar60
HFCS-55Modified Sugar58
Blackstrap MolassesSugar Extract55
Maple SyrupNatural Sugar54
HoneyNatural Sugar50
Sorghum SyrupNatural Sugar50
LactoseSugar45
Cane JuiceSugar Extract43
Barley Malt SyrupModified Sugar42
HSHSugar Alcohol35
Coconut Palm SugarNatural Sugar35
MaltitolSugar Alcohol35
HFCS-90Modified Sugar31
Brown Rice SyrupModified Sugar25
FructoseSugar25
GalactoseSugar25
Agave SyrupModified Sugar15
XylitolSugar Alcohol12
GlycerolSugar Alcohol5
SorbitolSugar Alcohol4
LactitolSugar Alcohol3
IsomaltSugar Alcohol2
MannitolSugar Alcohol2
ErythritolSugar Alcohol1
Yacon SyrupNatural Sweetener1
OligofructoseSugar Fiber1
InulinSugar Fiber1
BrazzeinNatural Sweetener0
CurculinNatural Sweetener0
GlycyrrhizinNatural Sweetener0
Luo Han GuoNatural Sweetener0
MiraculinNatural Sweetener0
MonellinNatural Sweetener0
PentadinNatural Sweetener0
SteviaNatural Sweetener0
ThaumatinNatural Sweetener0
Acesulfame KArtificial Sweetener0
AlitameArtificial Sweetener0
AspartameArtificial Sweetener0
CyclamateArtificial Sweetener0
NeotameArtificial Sweetener0
SaccharinArtificial Sweetener0
SucraloseArtificial Sweetener0
The University of Sydney publishes a searchable database containing the results of glycemic testing.
Agave has been delisted and banned by the Glycemic Research Institute of Washington DC because serious side effects were observed in clinical trials.
Coconut Palm Sugar contains mainly sucrose and one would expect a GI of about 65. However it scores well in the glycemic index for sweeteners list. Tests have indicated a GI of only about 35. This may be partly because of other substances in it such as soluble fiber. However, the testing was very limited. More testing may well produce a higher GI.
Yacon Syrup, scores best in the Glycemic Index for Sweeteners that are sugar based. It derives it's sweetness from Fructo-oligosaccharides, a type of sugar with a very low GI. It is probably the only truly raw, organic, natural, low calorie, and low glycemic sweetener available.
Sugar alcohols tend to have very low GIs. In particular Erythritol has a GI of only 1, and it is a safe low calorie sweetener that occurs naturally in some fruits and mushrooms.
Both the natural zero calorie sweeteners such as Stevia, and the artificial ones such as Saccharin have no glycemic index. They do not raise blood sugar at all. This brings up another issue: The human body is programmed to react to the taste of sweet things.
Studies have shown that insulin is secreted by the pancreas soon after the sweet taste is experienced on the tongue, whether the substance contains calories or not. The body is fooled by the zero calorie sweetener. It expects glucose to hit the bloodstream and it gets none. However this does not take into account several useful aspects of zero calorie sweeteners:

1. They do not cause a blood sugar spike and this alone is beneficial to health.
2. They are suitable for diabetics who would otherwise have a limited choice of sweet things.
3. They are harmless to teeth.
4. All things being equal they contain no calories and should be of assistance in a diet plan.
 
I read a post from a guy in Canada that just used the unreduced maple sap in his coffee instead of sugar.

Ben
I guess he did not like his coffee very sweet because unreduced maple sap is only slightly sweet.

From a prepper standpoint, and I do stand to be corrected here, freshly collected sap can only be kept for about a week or so before you either need to get on with reducing it, or you may have to throw it out. Which to me is such a waste LOL.
 
I guess he did not like his coffee very sweet because unreduced maple sap is only slightly sweet.

From a prepper standpoint, and I do stand to be corrected here, freshly collected sap can only be kept for about a week or so before you either need to get on with reducing it, or you may have to throw it out. Which to me is such a waste LOL.
I can't confirm or deny.

I get all of my misinformation from the internet.

:peace:

I may be wrong (old brain old memory) but he may have stored it the fridge.

Just offering what I can.

Ben
 
I can't confirm or deny.

I get all of my misinformation from the internet.

:peace:

I may be wrong (old brain old memory) but he may have stored it the fridge.

Just offering what I can.

Ben
That's where most of my misinformation comes from too!!
But even stored at 32F or as close as possible, whether that's a snow drift or your fridge, you've still only got a week or 2. If you freeze it solid then longer of course.

(I think :dunno: )
 
That's where most of my misinformation comes from too!!
But even stored at 32F or as close as possible, whether that's a snow drift or your fridge, you've still only got a week or 2. If you freeze it solid then longer of course.

(I think :dunno: )
If I ever get around to actually be retired, I test it out and let you know.

Princess Fairy Tale Time

The Princess (my better half) was exploring The Ridge (forested land we purchased after "she considers a piece of land and she buyeth it) for the first time. She reported she found an old rusted galvanized bucket as she was exploring. She then reported she found a second and a third.

She stopped to try and figure out why there were buckets in the woods and looked down to see she was knee high in a pile of maple leaves.

That adventure put another item on our to-do list and try to tap some maple trees.

Be patient, I don't do fast.

Ben
 
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My go to sweeteners are honey, maple syrup/sugar and when I can get it sorghum molasses. The honey I get locally, the maple syrup I make myself. The sorghum I pick up in Kentucky when I visit.

what's your favorites?

Maple and honey are my favorites.
 

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