Maple Syrup

             How to Make Maple Syrup

Sweet and Sticky, Golden and Glorious, Maple Syrup Makes a Great Topping for Many Things

    Maple syrup has been made since before the Europeans came to America, though there is no actual history about how it started. The smells of spring are always refreshing, but they’re even better when you have the sweet smell of syrup in the air too.

    Now, I’ve wanted to make maple syrup for years, but as with many things, I had to get the idea past my mother, and into reality. So after some years, I was able to convince her last year, with the help of my dad.

    After ordering 6 five gallon buckets, 50 ft of tubing, and taps for the tubing, we were ready to tap four of our trees. In order to get the best results, you have to drill on the south side of the maple tree, about three feet off the ground, and under a branch if you can. After we drilled a ¾ inch hole into the tree, and tapped the tap in with a hammer, sap was already dripping out

Tapping the maple tree

   

 The timing for tapping is everything. You have to tap when the day time temperature is above freezing, and the night time low is below freezing. In early spring when these temperatures are met, is when it is best for tapping.

Tap in the maple tree with tube going to the bucket

 

   This year it was mid February, and we found ourselves out tapping the maple trees again, and this time we were tapping six trees, not just four. This year though, we had to make sure to tap at least six inches away from the last spot where we tapped the trees.

    Now, after collecting enough sap, you have to begin the evaporation process. What we do, is we take the sap and put it in a 22 quart turkey roaster. We turn it on to 325 to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and let it evaporate, adding more sap as needed. After adding 50 – 60 quarts to the roaster over the course of 3 or 4 days, the syrup is then poured into a pot on the stove, and from there is boiled down and turned fully into syrup. We use a candy thermometer to try to keep the temperature at 219 degrees Fahrenheit.

Evaporating the sap in a turkey roaster

    

Boiling it into syrup on the stove top

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    When the syrup is ready, we pour it into jelly jars, put lids on, then turn the jar upside down, and they will seal. Now they can be stored until your ready to pop open a jar and use it!

 

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