Harvesting Syrup From Maple Trees

Editor: demphoto

This guide will teach you the process to make your own maple syrup from scratch!

In the spring of the year, when the weather conditions are just right, the Maple Tree starts getting ready for the growing season. The days are starting to warm up after a cold winter, the nights are starting to stay above zero and the world is starting to renew itself. The sap is going to flow soon. The temperature during the day will rise to above 40 degrees Fahrenheit and the nights will fall below 32 degrees. The time is right for making Maple Syrup.

There are a few steps in making Maple Syrup; they are not complicated, but for the hobbyist, they are certainly labor intensive. The previous years cleanup provides a body of equipment that is prepared for the effort. The steps necessary to harvest Maple Syrup

1. Monitor the weather closely a cloudy day will cause the sap to flow slowly because the trees like sunshine. The daytime temperature needs to be over 40 and the nighttime needs to be 32 degrees or below.
2. Drag out the syrup making tools.
   1. Buckets ( 5 to 6 gallon plastic) probably 40 to 50 for a small family operation
   2. Drill bit and drill (3/8 inch drill bit), battery-powered drill with lots of spare, charged batteries.
   3. The 3 to 5 foot long 3/8 inch diameter tubes and hoses that you used last year.
   4. Several, at least 6, 50-gallon drums to store the sap after the days collection and you need to have some extra drums for cooking and collecting.
   5. Taps - those things that you put into the hole drilled in the tree to allow the sap to drip down the tube into the bucket; maybe 80 to 100 for a small family operation.
   6. A stainless steel cooking pan, preferably 16 inches deep or more and wide enough to make room for a fire.
   7. Enough wood to cook (evaporate) all of the sap into syrup (probably 3 cords will do).

Now that you have the necessary outdoor equipment, it is time to start the tapping. A tree will be at least 12 inches in diameter to deliver sap and the bigger the better. A good Maple tree will have a deep-yellow leaf in the fall and, during your fall walk-abouts, you should note the ones you will want to tap.

Identify your first Maple Tree

• Drill a 3/8 inch hole about 3/4 of an inch deep (watch for the white meat of the tree
  • If you get brown or tan meat, you wont get sap) at a somewhat upward angle about 3 feet from the ground.
  • If the day is above 40 degrees and sunny, the sap will flow right away. If the day is cloudy, the sap may take a little time to start and it will flow slowly for that day
• Insert the tap into the tree. A gentle rap with a mallet will set the tap. Did I say gentle? Once the tap is in the tree, attach a tube that runs into a bucket sitting at the base of the tree. Repeat these steps for each tap. A single tree can support at least two taps and the buckets will fill almost daily.
• Repeat this process for as many Maple trees as you would like to tap. Our small operation tapped about 45 trees and put three of us to work for at least two weeks.

Now that you have tapped the Maple trees, it is time to take stock of what to do next. Setting up the cooking (evaporating area) takes a little planning. We have a stainless steel pan about 3 feet by four feet and at least 14 inches deep, and our neighbor built a cinder block cooking stove that fits the pan perfectly. Our stove is next to a garage and the garage will store the barrels of sap as we cook for the next couple of weeks. The wood for the fire is cut and stacked near the cooking pit.

On the second day after the taps have been set and the buckets start to fill, select a comfortable time in the afternoon to start transferring sap back to the drums. Carry empty buckets to replace the ones that are brimming with sap and store the sap in the drums until you have about 100 gallons of sap. You will probably accomplish this the first time you gather sap. Once you have collected enough sap, the cooking can start. Start the cooking

1. Filter the sap through course cloth in order to remove the leaves and other items that might have flown into the stored sap.
2. Fill the cooking pan about 2/3 full and start the fire.
3. For the next couple of hours, monitor the contents of the cooking pan and add sap as needed to keep it about 2/3 full. The sap will start to boil and brown. The ratio of sap to syrup is about 40 or 50 to 1.
4. As the cooking (evaporating) progresses, monitor the condition of the developing syrup. The temperature will eventually reach or nearly reach 217 degrees. When that temperature is reached, your sap will be syrup, but you arent done yet; there are more steps in the process.

From the cooking to the canning

Wow, the sap has turned into syrup, or so it seems. The temperature is now 217 degrees and you are ready to pour the syrup into 5-gallon pans. Be careful, the syrup is very hot. After pouring the syrup into 5-gallon pans, it needs to cool overnight.

The overnight wait allows the niter to settle to the bottom. The niter is made up of sour-tasting particles that can ruin the syrup. Once the niter has settled, strain the remaining syrup through special funnel strainers and leave the niter behind. After completing the filtering step, put the syrup back on the burner to boil.

While the syrup is re-heating, make sure your quart jars are clean and your Ball lids are heated. Once the syrup has come to a boil, it is time to ladle the syrup into the jars and apply the cap. Let the jars sit on the counter overnight and cool once again. The lids will pop as they cool; it is the Maple Syrup song of completion.

There are many other experiences people have had making Maple Syrup, but this has been ours. Once you have made grade A Maple Syrup our way, you will probably look for an easier route.

Categories: Cooking | Do-It-Yourself