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The making of maple syrup has been done here in America since
before the white man even hit its shores. Upon their arrival, however, the
settlers soon began to partake in the practice, and it continues today
wherever maples are found. It is done both by commercial sugar houses and
private homesteaders. If you've ever desired to tap your own tree and make
your own maple syrup it can be done.
The best time to tap a maple tree is in late winter or
early spring. The tap holes can be drilled anywhere on the tree but there
are a few guidelines you should follow.
#1. Do not tap trees smaller than 10" in diameter.
#2. Early in the season sap production is highest on the
south side of the tree.
#3. Drill holes no deeper than 3" into the wood and no
closer than 6" from previously drilled holes.
#4. Drill holes at an upward angle into the tree, using a
7/16 drill bit for a 1/2" spiel or spout.
#5. If you have a tree over 2 feet in diameter you can
have up to 4 spouts. Otherwise it is best to stick to two.
Once you've drilled your holes, gently tap
the spouts into the tree. The sap should be collected in covered containers.
The Sugar Maple (Acer Saccharin) is the one maple which has a
high enough concentration of sugar in its sap to produce 1 gallon of syrup
for every 45 gallons of sap collected. There are about 5-8 varieties of
maple growing in the Ransom Farm sugar bush but the majority of trees are
Sugar Maple.
Pour the sap into a pot and
place it on the stove or hotplate. Heat over medium high until it comes to a
low boil, turn down and simmer. As the water evaporates continue to pour
additional sap into the pot until you have used all of your sap. The water
will evaporate and the sugar will caramelize so the remaining syrup changes
to a medium brown color. Be especially careful as the syrup cooks
down toward the bottom of the pan. It is done when it is brownish in color
and the general consistency of syrup. Do not overcook or it will burn to
the pot. Let it cool slightly and serve. We poured our syrup over
the top of a freshly baked cake. You will not be able to make too much
syrup as it takes about 40 gallons of sap to make on gallon of syrup.
A tap can be put anywhere in the
trunk or main branches of the tree. The sunniest side of the tree will
produce sap earlier in the day and season but I am told the taps on the
shady side will produce later into the season and produce an equal amount of
sap per year. I'm not so sure, anyway when the season is starting we're
always so anxious to start boiling we try to tap the sunny side. After a
tree has been tapped once, it is important to drill the next years hole at
least 6 inches from the scars of past seasons taps. As I mentioned before,
the hole starts to heal itself within about six weeks of drilling, but it
can take several years to completely cover itself with live wood and bark. A
small hole drilled into a tree trunk is a minor wound when compared to the
damage of an ice or wind storm. But by keeping the holes properly spaced we
give the tree a better chance of not letting a bug colony or fungus take
hold and win the battle
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How Do We Know When to Draw the Syrup? |
A very common question. At the exit end of the evaporator
is a thermometer which extends into the boiling liquid. We all know that
water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit. And as the level of sugar dissolved
in water (or the density of the liquid) increases the boiling point
increases. The industry standard for maple syrup is when the boiling point
reaches 219 degrees Fahrenheit.
Well that's mostly true, that boiling point is for a standard atmospheric
pressure we call at sea level. The exact boiling point will be lower at
higher elevations or when a low pressure weather system is over us. And, of
course a high pressure weather system can swing the boiling point higher.
And that can be confusing. So the first time every day we boil the
thermometer is watched until we are a couple degrees below 219 and a beaker
of near syrup is drawn and the specific gravity measured with an hydrometer.
An hydrometer is a calibrated float (you may have seen them used to test
your cars antifreeze concentration) that floats higher or lower depending on
the amount of dissolved sugar in the water. The hydrometer we use is
specifically calibrated for maple syrup. Once we reach the correct specific
gravity we make note of the temperature and can draw syrup at that
temperature for the rest of the day
BASIC EQUIPMENT
Basic
equipment for syrup making includes: (1) a brace and bit, (2) spouts and
hooks, (3) collecting buckets and covers, (4) gathering pails, (5) a
collecting tank, (6) a vehicle if you transport the sap any distance, (7)
one or more holding tanks, (8) a sugarhouse or building where the sap may be
boiled down, (9) the stove like evaporator or arch on which the cooking is
done, (10) an ample supply of firewood, (11) a cooking pan, (12) a
hydrometer or thermometer, (13) skimmer, (14) milk can or similar container
for holding the rough boiled syrup, (15) a finishing pan and stove, (16)
felt strainer and (17) containers for the refined syrup.
Maple trees take exception to
having holes punched in them, and get even by teasing sugar makers almost to
death. If it's too cold, sap won't run. If it's too warm, it won't run. Come
perfect, clear spring weather with freezing nights and thawing days, it'll
run like Roger Bannister for a few days, and then stop. A storm might make
it run again, but a rain storm will probably be too warm. A snow storm might
make the sap run, but you never know. This is because the trees will drop
down gobs of the white stuff and knock the tops off your buckets. |
Cedarsale.com 
