Maple Syrup

Maple syrup is something that can easily be done at home for relatively little money if you have some maple trees on your property and you fall in the right region.  The Northern United States and Canada fall into the perfect zone for maple syrup.  The main season for maple sugaring is in the spring time when you have nights below freezing and warm sunny days above freezing.  This freeze thaw cycle is what causes the sap to push up from the roots to the branches to help in new bud growth.  The sap typically runs for 4 to 6 weeks.  I am told you can also tap maple trees in the late fall, but I have not personally tried it.  One season a year is enough for me due to the time commitment this process takes.  

The first thing you have to do is prep.  Don't wait until the weather is right to figure out your plan for maple sugaring.  If you decide to purchase buckets and spiels (like shown above) you will be out of luck if you try and get them during the season.  Most places will be sold out, or will be charging a premium.  If you do phone it in there are other options.  I have made due with clear PVC hose, plastic pipe fittings and clean vinegar jugs.  Realistically that set up worked just as well as the fancy buckets and spiels.  I just like the traditional look of the buckets hanging on the trees.

So what does it take to go from tree to finished syrup?  Well a lot of time mostly.

There are a lot of options out there for collecting sap.  You can go completely modern in your setup, home built like the PVC tubing and vinegar jugs I described above, or you can do what I did and go more traditional like I did.  I purchased buckets, lids, spiels, and a tree saver drill bit for my most recent season.  I really only chose this because I liked the looks of the buckets hanging on the trees in my yard.  Your setup is completely up to you.  You really only need something to drill a hole and then funnel the sap from that hole into a container for collection later. 

After drilling the trees, about 1/2" deep and on an upward angle, start collecting sap.  I usually wait until I have about 3+ gallons of sap before starting the boiling process.  If your going to do all the boiling in your house I wouldn't suggest doing more than about 3 gallons at any one time.  You won't have a problem with low humidity in your house when your done.  If your going to boil outdoors save up as much as you have time to boil down, and if you have particularly warm weather your sap can generate some mold growth if left standing too long so keep that in mind as well.  I usually plan for about 5+ hours to boil down 3 gallons of sap.  If I'm boiling large quantities I may stop part way through the boil and pick it up again the next day.

I have upgraded to a outdoor propane deep fryer for my rough boiling so that I don't steam my house up too much.  This also helps in that you can put a much larger quantity of sap into the pot and bring it to a low steady boil.  If your not ready to make that investment you can take care of the whole process on your stove as shown.  The first step is to filter your sap.  I strain mine through cheese cloth to get any dirt or bark that may have fallen in out (or later in the season the occasional bug or two).  Once strained start the boil.  If you don't have a pot large enough to hold all your sap in one go you can add it as your sap boils down.  Don't go to crazy with the heat, just bring it to a low rolling boil and let it go.  

The candy thermometer in the picture is to monitor temperature.  Temperature will tell you everything you need to know in this process.  It will boil right at the boiling point of water for your elevation.  Once you see the temp start to rise past that you may want to move your sap to a smaller pot so that you can keep your thermometer submerged and control the temp a little better.

What your looking for now is for the temp to register 7 degrees above the boiling point of water for your elevation.  This is when your sap becomes syrup.  Keep an eye on the process once the temp starts to rise.  If you walk away in the last 45 minutes of the process your going to have a boil over and your going to lose syrup.  Since it takes about 40 gallons of sap to make just 1 gallon of syrup you don't want to waste any, but it does happen to everyone at some point so don't feel too bad.  Stay with your syrup and manage the heat to keep a low rolling boil until you hit your magic number.  Once you have managed 7 degrees past boiling remove it from the heat right away.  At this point the heat will climb quickly as the sugars develop.  If you leave it on the heat to long you will end up with maple candy (not so bad either).

Strain it through cheese cloth one more time when pouring it into whatever container your going to use to store it to clear out some of the impurities.  Don't worry if it comes out a little cloudy in the jar after a couple days of sitting that will settle to the bottom and you will be left with some amazing syrup.  At this point you have a couple options.  Syrup will keep in the fridge for about 6 months, or you can can it to save it for a year or more.  For those of you who leave pure maple syrup jugs in the pantry, read the label.  Maple syrup can develop mold so it needs to be kept in the fridge once opened.  

After properly storing it however you chose, enjoy it on pancakes, make a glaze with it, use it as a sweetener, or whatever.  Using it as a glaze for smoking salmon is a personal favorite of mine, or making candied pecans is always a hit if your looking for options other than waffles and pancakes.