[Making] Maple Syrup

Not so long ago, I was complaining about this culinarily uninspiring time of year. But March is great for lots of things, and perfect for maple sugaring. I was so lucky to have caught the tail-end of my dad's backyard maple sugaring operation in Michigan this year. And what follows is a description of his process, including tips from my mom, who has helped teach maple sugaring as part of her job at Sarrett Nature Center. (There, she has also helped for cooking the syrup into candy. Perhaps that's something we should try later this Spring?)

If you want to tap a tree, you need cold nights and warmer days. The rising and falling temperatures create the right pressure environment for the sap:

During warm periods when temperatures rise above freezing, pressure (also called positive pressure) develops in the tree. This pressure causes the sap to flow out of the tree through a wound or tap hole. During cooler periods when temperatures fall below freezing, suction (also called negative pressure) develops, drawing water into the tree through the roots. This replenishes the sap in the tree, allowing it to flow again during the next warm period. Although sap generally flows during the day when temperatures are warm, it has been known to flow at night if temperatures remain above freezing.
(Read more from the Cornell Sugar Maple Research and Extension Program)

Ok, so let's begin shall we?

You will need:
drill with a 3/8" bit
spile/s (you can order these online)
bucket or milk jug for catching the sap
large pot
candy thermometer



To Make:
1. Identify maple trees. Sugar maples, as the name might suggest, produce sweeter sap, but other maples will work as well. You'll just need more sap to create the same end-amount of syrup.

2. Drill a hole in the tree about 2-3 inches deep, and about 4 feet above the ground. You can repeat this process 2-3 times per tree, with all holes at about the same height.

3. Carefully insert the spile into the hole.

4. From the spile, hang your bucket. My dad used old milk gallon jugs, so he added a small piece of plastic tubing to the spile, which then ran into a small hole in the jug.

5. Collect the sap. Depending on how quickly the sap is running, you may need to change the bucket once or twice a day. It should keep, refrigerated, for 3 or so days before cooking.

6. Cook the sap. Because you need a tremendous amount of sap to make syrup, it's best to do this outdoors, in a large pot over a gas grill or propane camping stove. You could also cook it over a log fire, just make sure you have plenty of wood. The point here is that lots and lots of steam will be released over the course of the cooking period. It will peel the paint off your walls.

You may need between 30 and 50 parts sap to create one part syrup. So, begin boiling. And keep boiling. This will take hours.

When you've reduced the sap from about 20 parts to 1 part, or when it is very sweet and amber colored, but still quite thin, remove it from the large pot, and transfer to a smaller pot on your kitchen stove. With a candy thermometer in place, boil this near-syrup on your stove until it reaches 219 degrees F. Keep an eye on it as it nears the proper consistency; it may boil over. To deal with this, some people drip a few drops of cream or butter into the mix. I wonder if oil would work as well, to keep things vegan. When the syrup has reached 219, remove from the heat and allow to cool.

6b. Update: a commenter on my Huffington Post article on the same topic reminded us that the syrup should be filtered before it's finished. Here's what he says:

Either between the outdoor evaporating and bringing it inside or just before bottling, it needs to be run through a filter, otherwise it'll be cloudy. This can be done with filters you can buy just about anywhere that sells maple supplies. Or an easy and cheap way that has worked for me is to pour it slowly through a colander lined with clean cotton dish towels.

7. Store syrup in a glass jar.

This post is with thanks to instructions passed down by my mom, from the Kalamazoo Nature Center, and my dad, a one-man nature center.