Sugar Maple Tree
Making Maple Syrup from the Sugar Maple Tree
Few people do not enjoy a steaming short stack of pancakes as a special treat for breakfast; one made even more special when topped with fresh maple syrup from a local sugar maple tree. It is an easy process that anyone living within the Northeastern and Midwestern United States can try.
The sugar maple tree has many wonderful and useful attributes. It possesses a strong, hard wood that is great demand for use as flooring, furniture, veneers and even musical instruments. As a landscape tree, the bright gold color that is produced in the fall seems to light up like fire when the bright autumn sun shines upon it. And of course, it is most likely best known for its sap, which can be transformed into delicious, sweet syrup so familiar on breakfast tables.
When planning to make maple syrup, the sugar maple tree is the best source for sap due to its high sugar content. It is also in plentiful supply, growing abundantly in the wild. Some trees have been tapped for sap for up to 150 years, proving that tapping does no long lasting harm to the tree. Identifying a sugar maple tree for tapping is easy; choose one with a trunk at least ten inches in diameter and at least 4 ½ feet tall.
To begin, there are certain pieces of equipment you will need. For extracting the sap, stainless steel spouts, also called spiles, with bucket hooks, clean plastic gallon milk containers and a drill and bullet drill bit will be needed. In northern US states, mid February to the first of March are the optimal times for sugaring. About 2 to 4 feet up from the ground, drill a hole into the sugar maple tree about 2 ½ inches and place the spout in the hole. Attach the plastic milk container so that the sap will drip into the opening.
Ideal conditions for sugaring exist when a quick daytime warming and a night with freezing temperatures occur. Sap will run at different levels; usually averaging around a quart to a gallon per day. Forty three gallons of sap are required to make just one gallon of maple syrup from a sugar maple tree with high sugar content.
When enough sap has been collected from the sugar maple tree to process, pour the sap into a large, Teflon coated pan. Bring the sap quickly to a boil without scorching the fluid. Using a candy thermometer, continue the boiling until the syrup reaches a temperature that is 7° above the point of water boiling at your elevation. Sieve the syrup to remove any unwanted elements, package while still hot and store.
With the sugar maple tree being so readily available to most Northeasterners and Midwesterners, making your own fresh maple syrup would be a fun and educational activity for families as well as providing the makings for a delicious home cooked pancake breakfast.