jHow Maple Syrup is Made

On Sunday, February 24, my husband and I went to the Green Lane Nature Center in the beautiful Upper Perkiomen Valley to learn how to make maple syrup and identify the sugar maple trees in winter. Our guide Ruth told us how to recognize the bare trees. First, look for branches that are symmetrical, that is directly opposite from each other on a larger branch. Other trees have staggered branches. They should have small brown buds on the ends of the branches. Trees need to be at least 12 inches in diameter to tap. Use a hand drill with a 7/16's inch bit and drill your hole on an angle about 2-3 feet above the ground. Go into the tree about 3 inches. The angle allows the sap to drip more easily into the bucket. Then a spile or spout is tapped into the hole with a mallet. Attach a bucket to the hook on the spout and let it catch the sap as it drips into the bucket. In our area the tree tapping will last about 3 weeks. The hole you make with your drill will close up on its own in about 2 years; It does not damage the tree in any way. Temperatures in the 40's or 50's during the day and below freezing at night are what is needed to make the sap 'run'.

The sap that slowly drips out is clear, it looks like water. Ruth told us that we could taste a drop on our finger. It tasted like water that was ever so slightly sweetened. The sap is about 90% water. When you have collected all the sap, and by the way you need to tap 43 trees to make one gallon of maple syrup, You heat it to the boiling point to boil off all of the water. This takes about 5-6 hours. You can do this outside over an open fire in a large pot or buy a commercial evaporator. Many places in the New England area sell all the supplies you need. These are available on line and can be shipped to your door. Here is a tip that I learned, never boil the water off inside your kitchen. All the steam is sticky and it will stick to every surface in your kitchen.