Making Maple Syrup

In contemplating the present opening prospects in human affairs, I am led to expect that a material part of the general happiness which Heaven seems to have prepared for mankind, will be derived from the manufacture and general use of Maple Sugar. 

Letter to Thomas Jefferson by Benjamin Rush, August 19, 1791

Looks like times haven't changed all that much when it comes to the gift of turning maple sap into maple syrup and maple sugar. It does seem like a sweet gift from Heaven.   Sugaring was one of the goal projects at the hobby farm this year and I am happy to call it a great success! 

I'm sending a huge thank you to our daughters for the Christmas gift of the tools to tap the trees.  I'm looking forward to making pancakes and waffles for you throughout the year with delicious, pure maple syrup right from our own trees. 

Sap collection was very easy.  We checked the jugs a couple of times a day...sometimes they were half full and other days completely overflowing.  It was interesting to watch how the fluctuating temperatures and varied amount of sunshine affected the sap flow.  It was even more interesting to see that one day this tree produced more and then on another day, a different tree produced better. 

We boiled the sap down inside the house on the stove.  I know that is not recommended because of the amount of moisture it puts in the air inside the house.  We really did not encounter any problems with the relatively small amount of sap we collected.  

I say small but, in reality, we collected sixty gallons of sap in two weeks time.  I stopped collecting when I started to see tiny buds on the trees and when the sap flow started to slow down.  That sixty gallons of sap became one gallon of pure, amber colored, delicious, thick maple syrup.  That is about the amount of syrup we use in one year's time.  I am thrilled with the result. 

There was only one boil-over mishap and yes, that was quite a sticky mess but caused me to seek out some education.  Boil-over will occur very quickly when the syrup is getting close to the right consistency.  It can be calmed quite easily just by touching the surface of the liquid with a little pat of butter.  It was amazing to watch the bubbles that were climbing up the side of the deep pot retreat rapidly in the presence of that little bit of fat. The beautiful syrup was placed in sterilized canning jars while it was hot and is now being stored in the freezer to keep it perfect all year long.

Next year, Bob has promised me a sugar shack to do the evaporating in a more traditional way.  I think the addition of wood smoke will make the syrup taste even better! 

In true hobby farm fashion, I'm proud that I have produced all the maple syrup we will use this year right on our land.  The project was easy enough that we all agree to do it again next year....and maybe instead of tapping four trees, we will tap eight....I'll let you know :)  

Peace be with you, 

Star Schipp 

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Skills Saturday: Tapping Maple Trees

A sap-run is the sweet good-by of winter.  It is the fruit of the equal marriage of the sun and frost. 

Jim Burroughs, Signs and Seasons, 1886

We are trying a new skill today on Estle Schipp Farm.  We have never tapped our maple trees and it has been on our list of want-to-do's for quite some time.  I'm sending out a huge thank you to our daughters who gave us the tapping supplies for Christmas! 

Real maple syrup is so wonderful and as about a pure a product as you can get.  It is the concentrated sap of a sugar maple tree - that is it - not one other thing added.  What is sold on the grocery shelves as syrup is usually a form of corn syrup with artificial flavoring and coloring plus some additives to preserve the shelf life.  I was well into adulthood before I found out that what I had put on my pancakes all the years before was not real maple syrup. Stop using the fake stuff. Once you make the switch, you will be so glad you did. 

The resource I'm using is the website:  Tap My Trees.  Last fall, we marked the trees we planned to tap.  Update on that, we tacked a small piece of fabric to the trees so we could remember which ones to tap.  We tagged four trees but only found two tags.

Lesson 1:  Mark the trees better 

The next challenge was to figure out when to actually set the taps.  I've been closely watching the weather reports and the daily high and low temperatures.  Generally, the sap flow starts between mid-February to mid-March.  The sap will flow when daytime temperatures rise above freezing and nighttime temps below freezing.  Looking at the forecast for this week seemed promising. So off we went and set four taps.  

Bob drilled into the trees....I was expecting to see the flow begin immediately but it didn't.  The temperature was not above freezing when we tapped in the spiles so I'll be making frequent checks throughout the day as the temperatures rise. 

Lesson 2:  Sap flow depends on weather and it not always consistent.  Some days may have alot and others none.

If you look at all the supplies marketed to the process of maple sugaring, you may get overwhelmed.  I originally thought I needed several buckets, yards of tubing, an evaporator and various other supplies.  I'm glad that I re-thought that (especially on the hobby farm budget).  Use what you have!  Instead of buckets, I'm using 2 liter bottles and milk jugs as sap collectors and I'll use the electric roasting pan I already have to boil down the sap.  Good old canning jars will hold the maple goodness I hope to have by the time the season is over. The spiles/spouts were really the only necessary purchase.  

Lesson 3:  When trying a new skill, only obtain the minimally essential equipment necessary and expand from there if it is a skill you enjoy. 

I'm really excited to add sugaring to our growing list of hobby farm life skills.  I'll keep you posted on the progress!  

Peace be with you, 

Star Schipp 

This post may contain affiliate links which means if you make a purchase using one of those links, I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you.  It is a great way to support your favorite hobby farm blogger.  Thank you!