Subscribe & Save: Organic Maple Syrup!
from the kitchen, frugality, natural living on a budget Add commentsI recently stumbled upon a great deal for organic maple syrup through Amazon’s Subscribe & Save program. I had formally been paying $17.99 for non-organic Maple syrup. Ouch! Amazon offers organic maple syrup for $26 per 32 oz container. If you use the Subscribe & Save feature you can get it for $22! That is $4 off the regular price plus free shipping! You can cancel your subscription at any time as well.
Why should you consider buying organic maple syrup? According to Sally Fallon in Nourishing Traditions, “Formaldehyde is used in the production of most commercial maple syrup.” Plus you will be supporting good farming and production practices.
Update: apparantly Sally’s information may be out of date as to the presence of formaldehyde. See comments below. I have not done enough research myself to confirm or deny this fact.
I always stretch my syrup with sorghum syrup and water to make my dollar go even further! This way we only need to buy a container of maple syrup every two months.
Read more about the health benefits of maple syrup here.
Just thought I’d pass on one little idea for eating naturally on a budget!
Do you use Subscribe & Save? What healthy deals have you found? I know there is more out there!
Thanks for this suggestion! I’m revamping my grocery budget and meal plan after reading on your blog and keeper of the home. I’m inspired to make homemade bread and tortillas for my husband. Your blog has really helped me be more passionate about homemaking. Thank you!
If you have a Whole Foods near you their organic Grade B (which is better- more flavor) Maple syrup retails for 16.99. If you buy a case you get 10% off of that price. My husband and I would like to drive up to the muntains where they tap it- and possibly fetch a huge barrell of it- Has anyone ever bought any that way???
I was going to say the same thing. When the prices went up at Trader Joe’s, I started looking. I was absolutely shocked to find Whole Foods selling organic for what I was paying for the same grade of non-organic at Trader Joe’s!
My family lives in upstate New York and has access to multiple maple farms, not only here in NY, but in VT also. None of the small scale independent maple producers we have purchased from use formaldehyde in their production. We are currently paying $42 for a gallon of extra dark. This is a $6 increase from last year, but still a super deal compared to the $18/quart that the grocery store is charging.
Amazon has recently become my favorite place to price check before buying something at the store. For instance, the Oreganol Oregano Oil is currently $26 for one ounce — and I usually pay $29 for .45 ounces!
It is also a great source for many gluten free foods — the free shipping feature on many items saves a lot of money when you’re buying grains and flours.
I don’t use Subscribe & Save because I prefer having control over what is purchased when, but I do know others who love the feature.
We order our organic maple syrup from Hummingbird Wholesale as part of a coop. Because we share 2.5 gallons (each person claims what they want prior to order) it ends up being only $15.68/quart. Hummingbird offers great prices on lots of great organic items like olive oil (about $25/gallon), nuts, honey, etc but I believe there is a minimum order. There are other companies (Frontier, Bob’s Red Mill, Wilderness Family Naturals) that offer great prices, especially if you are able to order larger quantities as a group purchase. We’ve been able to join with other families and have been so blessed by the ability to purchase organic, whole foods at prices we can afford!
Don’t forget to check any local maple syrup farms. Our local farm has been in their family for at least 50 years and the trees are in dedicated acres of timber. They would never pay for the organic certification process but they definitely fit the bill and it’s $15 dollars for 32 oz. It has been my experience that they are willing to talk your ear off about how they make it (temps, testing, etc) because they are often family businesses which they are very proud of.
My husband pined for corn-syrup syrup when we ran out of maple syrup mid-winter. I wouldn’t buy the stuff and we made do with honey.
Cindy
Ooh. Didn’t know about the formaldehyde. Yuck.
Lindsay, I’m not sure where you live, but if you live in an area that produces maple syrup, you may be able to find a good deal on locally produced syrup. It is true that commercial maple syrup producers use formaldehyde (though it’s illegal) However, I was able to contact a local family sugar bush, and they said that their syrup isn’t certified organic, but it is all-natural. I specifically asked about the formaldehyde as well. Alot of small family operations can’t afford to use chemicals the way big-time producers can. He assured me that the only outside agent they introduce is a de-foaming agent, which reduces the foam on the sap when it is boiled at high temperatures. It is vegetable oil. Anyway, I thought I would pass that on to you. You might be able to do even better on prices that way. I know I did.
Speaking of bargains, I wanted to share a deal on organic unrefined coconut oil!!
Many of you may be familiar with Frontier Co-Op, they provide bulk items, herbs, natural body care, etc. as wholesale (you’ll see a Frontier herbs display at Whole Foods, for example.) The site is available to shop retail, but if you have a business account, you can shop at wholesale prices. I order with a group of friends locally since a friend has business account, and I can get (almost) one gallon (54 oz) of Nutiva unrefined coconut oil for $22!
I’m not clear on all the co-op details, but for anyone who runs a home business already, this might be worth looking into as a great source for all kinds of things.
My local store “Sunflower Market” sells Organic Maple Syrup (32 oz) jug for $17.99 plus tax so it is a bit cheaper still. Thanks for the info!
Hi Lindsay! Thanks a million for the tip! I love subscribe and save b/c it’s soooo easy to manage, skip a month, skip 2 months, cancel at any time. I was also buying that TJ’s syrup, so this will save me a lot since I make a lot of granola every month! Thanks! So happy to see the new addition.
I also get the maple syrup. We also subscribe and save on organic tortilla chips!
Michelle
http://www.shelookethwell.blogspot.com
Enjoying your blog! Had a baby boy around the same time as you did. Was curious on a couple things….while nursing, what are some foods you are avoiding? what are you eating more of? what supplements are you taking (if any)? Do you give your baby supplements? My doc has recommended it, but I haven’t yet. Thanks! Would enjoy a post on that if you have the time!
To tell you the truth…I have not changed anything in my diet! I am still trying to eat a high protein diet, take my prenatal vitamins (honestly not very often), and eating as healthy as our budget can afford. Eating whole foods in their freshest state is my goal so my little guy can get the most nutrients as well.
I used AIM Barley Life as a supplement while pregnant and nursing my youngest. It was recommended to me, and I absolutely loved it. My energy and milk supply were both great. I really think it helped. I also drank a ton of water. I was always thirsty, but I also had an abundance of milk.
You can get info here:
http://www.yourlifesource.com/barleylife.htm
I use Amazon Subscribe and Save to buy Yogi Ginger tea. It’s much, much cheaper this route than buying it elsewhere. I drink it all the time and give it as gifts at Mother’s Day, birthdays, etc.
I’ve never heard about that, but neat! I’ll have to calculate how much of a savings that would be for us – we’re buying the organic maple syrup from the commisary right now. Thanks!
Wow! I didn’t realize that formaldehyde was used…gross. Another good reason to buy the good stuff!!
Ditto on those who researched maple syrup. We live in Wisconsin and again none of the people in the area big or small use formaldehyde either. And they don’t find it worth the money to be certified organic. I know that those who don’t live in a maple syrup producing area might have to be a bit more careful but my understanding is that the use of formaldehyde is almost completely non-existent. Formaldehyde pills were used to keep the “wound” made by drilling the hole open for two or more years. It is illegal in all states that I have researched. Here’s one site…I am sure there are more that would be even more detailed. http://www.lbmapletreat.com/faq/m_faq.htm
I am just quoting Sally Fallon in her book Nourishing Traditions on the issue of formaldehyhde. She said on page 536 that it is used in the production of most commerical maple syrups. I live in the NW and thus do not have access to local maple syrup. That is awesome for you for sure!
We have saved quite a bit on our daughter’s Seventh Generation diapers (when she is not in her cloth diapers we use these) and wipes and also have bought a case of their tiolet paper that is made from recycled paper. I usually subscribe and once I receive the item I unsubscribe unless it is something I want more of every few months. Not having to pay tax or shipping and getting a discount works for us! I look forward to seeing what others buy and save from Amazon. Another tip for saving $ online is to always google the name of the site and “coupon” or “coupon code”- I know I have saved hundreds doing this as I shop a lot online. Sometimes I wait until there is a good code for a certain online store before ordering. I saved over $30 on a purchase just the other day and it was something I would have purchased anyway!
I don’t know if anyone else does this, but my mom passed a “maple” syrup recipe along to me which just uses 1/2 c. brown sugar, 1/4 c. water, a few grains of salt and a drop or two of maple flavoring. Dissolve the sugar and salt in water, heat on medium heat, stirring until boiling then stop stirring and boil one or two minutes. Add flavoring and serve. I don’t think there’s anything weird in maple flavoring, it’s probably similar to vanilla, and I’m not sure if you could reproduce this with rapadura, but this is what we use!
Do you have any sources showing that maple syrup producers use formaldehyde…also, have you considered contacting Trader Joes to find out whether their producer(s) use it before switching to organic?
Sally Fallon in her book, Nourishing Traditions, talks about how formaldehyde is used in the production of most commericial maple syrups. Maybe her information is out of date, I am not sure. There are other reasons to buy organic if possible beyond this issue as in anything.
My husband works in the maple sugaring industry, and we have produced our own, and I can tell you that using formaldehyde is NOT used by “most” commercial maple sugar producers. Buy maple products produced here in the U.S. and you are getting the best product available. Whether labeled “organic” or not.It is an amazing process that turns sap into syrup. It is an art and maple producers take great care and pride in putting out the absolute best product they can. After all–their name is on the label. Just check the label when buying to make sure that it is a product made here in the U.S. and you will be buying the best syrup available. Untainted with unwanted chemicals. Organic or not.
I live far away from any “local maple farms”, so I pretty much have to have it shipped. The best price i’ve found was at http://www.mistymaples.com/
It’s a farm in vermont. $60 shipped for a whole gallon. (It would take 4 of the Amazon containers to make 1 gallon, so almost half the price.) The web site looks out of date, and I didn’t get an email confirmation, but my gallon arrived just a few days later (this was about a month ago.)
I ordered through Amazon, that is a great price right now. I used to get it at Costco, but they have went up almost double in price and what they have now isn’t organic, it is used to alternate. I am going to email that Misty Maples and see about their processing.
iherb site has maple syrup for $39.89 per 64oz. bottle, or $11.52 for 16oz. the brand is NOW i hve been using them for years and the are great i’m sure u wont regreat it!