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Maple Syrup Time
Posted by ChroniclesCapersCanards
on
1:05 PM
Since the 1970’s my family has done maple sugaring in late February through March. It is quite a process and a fantastic experience. I have done sugaring seasonally since I was born with my brother, father and grandfather; always excited for “next year’s run.” From start to finish it is an exhausting process that is well worth it, and I enjoy every minute of it. Being part of the Decker’s Sugar Grove is a great learning experience and a tradition that I plan to forever continue.
To begin, around February 25th, we get the buckets, taps, and spigots (the little connecting tube from tree to bucket) and tap the Sugar Maples in our yard and three other properties close by. To start the tapping of each tree, I take a hand crank drill with a 7/16 inch bit and bore a 2 1/2 – 3 inch hole into the hardwood. Then, the spigot is hammered in, and bucket attached via a hook attached to the spigot. Soon, the rhythmic dripping of the sap on the metal bucket begins. This process is repeated over and over for the 50 or so taps we do annually. This is very small comparatively, as some people we know in Vermont have 5000+ taps.
Next, the collection begins. If the weather cooperates, which cold nights and warm days are ideal, then sap collection will be required in the morning and afternoon. With 5 gallon buckets, our family collects the sap into 125 gallon barrels, which we transport to the sugar shed with the Chevy truck. We put the barrels onto a platform, slightly above the sugar shed and use plastic tubing to siphon it into the evaporator.
The evaporator, in short is a huge wood fired boiler. The sap enters into a huge pan and is about 10 inches deep, filled about halfway. It is boiled here, and after a few hours, it can be transferred into a smaller pan that is split down the middle, but the sap here is less than 2 inches deep. It is here, where the water content reduces and the amber color begins to show. The thickest, most syrup like sap will flow to the further half of the split pan and once it comes to a frothy boil, it will be drained through a strainer and taken for finishing. To produce a gallon of syrup, it is anywhere between 40-70 gallons of sap. We need 500+ gallons to get at least 10 gallons of syrup, if we are lucky. The boiling process is a very long one, and keeping a hot burning fire is a demanding task. Many late nights are spent watching the evaporator. We find many ways to entertain ourselves, through dartboards or log splitting contests.
Once the syrup is taken off the evaporator, then it is brought inside where it is cooked over very low heat for hours. Once the hydrometer, the tool that measures for sugar content, measures in a specific zone, it is finally finished. Next, it is bottled in our containers and left to cool and be served over pancakes, waffles, or even fresh fruits. Maple sugaring is a time consuming but rewarding process which I look forward to each year.
This is the Dominion and Grimm evaporator we use, the rear
pan is where the sap enters and is boiled, and the front,
smaller pan is where it is finished. The wood box is
underneath.
Here is the spigot hammered into the tree with the bucket
attached to the hook on the spigot.
Bryce D.
To begin, around February 25th, we get the buckets, taps, and spigots (the little connecting tube from tree to bucket) and tap the Sugar Maples in our yard and three other properties close by. To start the tapping of each tree, I take a hand crank drill with a 7/16 inch bit and bore a 2 1/2 – 3 inch hole into the hardwood. Then, the spigot is hammered in, and bucket attached via a hook attached to the spigot. Soon, the rhythmic dripping of the sap on the metal bucket begins. This process is repeated over and over for the 50 or so taps we do annually. This is very small comparatively, as some people we know in Vermont have 5000+ taps.
Next, the collection begins. If the weather cooperates, which cold nights and warm days are ideal, then sap collection will be required in the morning and afternoon. With 5 gallon buckets, our family collects the sap into 125 gallon barrels, which we transport to the sugar shed with the Chevy truck. We put the barrels onto a platform, slightly above the sugar shed and use plastic tubing to siphon it into the evaporator.
The evaporator, in short is a huge wood fired boiler. The sap enters into a huge pan and is about 10 inches deep, filled about halfway. It is boiled here, and after a few hours, it can be transferred into a smaller pan that is split down the middle, but the sap here is less than 2 inches deep. It is here, where the water content reduces and the amber color begins to show. The thickest, most syrup like sap will flow to the further half of the split pan and once it comes to a frothy boil, it will be drained through a strainer and taken for finishing. To produce a gallon of syrup, it is anywhere between 40-70 gallons of sap. We need 500+ gallons to get at least 10 gallons of syrup, if we are lucky. The boiling process is a very long one, and keeping a hot burning fire is a demanding task. Many late nights are spent watching the evaporator. We find many ways to entertain ourselves, through dartboards or log splitting contests.
Once the syrup is taken off the evaporator, then it is brought inside where it is cooked over very low heat for hours. Once the hydrometer, the tool that measures for sugar content, measures in a specific zone, it is finally finished. Next, it is bottled in our containers and left to cool and be served over pancakes, waffles, or even fresh fruits. Maple sugaring is a time consuming but rewarding process which I look forward to each year.
This is the Dominion and Grimm evaporator we use, the rear
pan is where the sap enters and is boiled, and the front,
smaller pan is where it is finished. The wood box is
underneath.
Here is the spigot hammered into the tree with the bucket
attached to the hook on the spigot.
Bryce D.
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