Several species of maple trees grow in North America. Though all 
produce sap suitable for the production of maple syrup, two species 
of sugar maple (Acer saccharum) and black maple (A. nigrum), are the 
source of sap for most commercial maple production. Sap suitable for 
conversion into syrup may also be obtained from red and silver 
maples, though such sap usually has a lower sugar content. 

Sugar maple is a common tree throughout most of eastern North 
America. In addition to its use for sap production, sugar maple is a 
valuable tree for lumber and is used extensively in fine furniture, 
It has been widely planted as a shade and ornamental tree. 

EQUIPMENT NECESSARY 

Maple syrup can be produced with a minimum of equipment, but a few 
standard items increase the efficiency of the operation and the 
quality of the product: 

1. A drill with a 7/16- or 1/2-inch bit for drilling tap-holes in 
trees. 

2. A metal or plastic collection spout for each tap-hole. 

3. A collection container (bucket or plastic bag) or tubing line for 
each tap-hole. 

4. A large pan and a heat source for boiling down the sap. The size 
needed will depend on how much sap you intend to handle. 

5. A large-scale thermometer calibrated at least 15 degrees above 
the boiling point of water. 

6. Wool, orlon or other filters for filtering finished syrup while 
hot. 

7. Storage facilities and containers for the finished syrup. 

TAPPING THE TREE 

To obtain the earliest runs of sap, tapping should be completed by 
the middle of February. Minimal trunk diameter for trees suitable 
for tapping is 10 inches at 4 feet above the ground. 

To tap a tree, select a spot on the trunk of the tree 2 to 4 feet 
above the ground in an area that appears to contain sound wood. At 
this point, drill a hole approximately 2 to 2.5 inches deep into the 
wood. Then insert a collection spout (spile) and tap lightly into 
the tree, and attach a bucket or plastic bag or a tubing line to the 
spout. Open buckets used for sap collection should be covered to 
keep out rainwater, debris, insects and other foreign materials. 

COLLECTING THE SAP 

Sap flow in maple trees will not occur every day throughout the 
tapping season. It occurs when a rapid warming trend in early to 
midmorning follows a cool (below freezing) night. Thus, the amount 
of sap produced varies from day to day. Normally, a single tap-hole 
produces from a quart to a gallon of sap per flow period (from a few 
hours to a day or more), with a seasonal accumulation of 10 to 12 
gallons per tap-hole likely. 

To produce high quality syrup, sap collections should be made as 
required, not exceeding every two or three days. If this is not 
possible, collections obtained from prolonged flow periods should be 
stored and processed separately. During periods of rather low 
temperatures and under favorable storage conditions, sap may be kept 
four or five days without reducing syrup quality. 

The amount of sap required to produce a gallon of maple syrup 
varies, depending on its sugar concentration. Sap averages 
approximately 2 percent sugar. At this concentration, 43 gallons of 
sap are required to produce 1 gallon of syrup. If the sap contains a 
higher sugar concentration, less sap will be required 

Producing maple syrup is essentially a matter of concentrating the 
sugar solution to a predetermined level through evaporation. Heat is 
used to concentrate the sap and to develop the characteristic maple 
color and flavor that make maple syrup so highly desirable. 

In large commercial operations, a continuous feed evaporation 
process is used. That is, the evaporation pan is arranged so that 
sap may be continuously added and syrup drawn off. In smaller 
operations, a "batch" approach is used. The evaporation pan is 
filled with sap and sap is added as necessary to replace that lost 
by evaporation. When a suitable amount of concentrated sap is 
present, the pan is "finished-off" to produce syrup of the correct 
density. 

To begin evaporation, fill the evaporating container (preferably a 
large shallow pan) with sap. Begin heating the sap to the boiling 
point, taking care not to burn or scorch the sap. (A Teflon-coated 
pan is ideal.) As evaporation lowers the level of sap in the pan, 
add more sap. Continue this process until most of the sap in the pan 
is highly concentrated and the boiling point of the sap begins to 
rise above the boiling point of water. 

Throughout this process, it may be necessary occasionally to skim 
the surface of the boiling liquid to remove surface foam and other 
materials. Finished syrup boils at 7 degrees above the boiling point 
of water. As the temperature of the boiling sap approaches this 
point, boiling should be carefully controlled to prevent burning and 
overheating. 

Once the desired boiling point has been reached, the syrup is ready 
for filtering and packaging. Hot syrup should be filtered through a 
suitable filter of wool or orlon to remove suspended particles, such 
as sugar sand, and improve the appearance of the syrup. After 
filtering, the syrup should be packaged, also while hot. A 
temperature of at least 180 degrees F is necessary to prevent 
spoiling while in storage. 

OTHER MAPLE PRODUCTS 

Maple syrup may be used as is, of course, or it may be converted 
into other highly desirable products. Maple sugar, maple candy and 
maple fudge are just a few of the many other maple products. 
Basically, these are made by concentrating finished syrup to a 
greater density and stirring the highly concentrated syrup. Recipes 
for a variety of maple products may be obtained by contacting the 
local county Extension office. (or by writing to the Department of 
Forestry at Michigan State University, or some of the other main 
Maple Sugaring States). 

Maple syrup and sugar are among the oldest agricultural commodities 
produced in the United States. Native Americans are generally 
credited with discovering how to convert maple sap into maple syrup. 
The importance of maple products for local trade was established 
well before the arrival of the first European settlers in North 
America. Maple syrup production is confined to the northeastern 
portion of the United States, with the largest amounts produced in 
Vermont and New York. Until rather recently, maple syrup and sugar 
have been strictly a "sideline" farm crop; however, the production 
of maple syrup and other maple products is often a full-time 
operation. Maple syrup is one agricultural crop in which there is no 
surplus. In fact, demand far exceeds the available supply. The 
industry is not expanding, even though less than 1 percent of the 
potential resource is being used. 

I have been told that the Pacific Bigleaf Maple in the PNW will also 
produce Maple Syrup, but the sugar content is lower and therefore 
larger amounts of sap will be needed, maybe up to double of that 
from the Sugar Maples. I think it is something like a 40 to 1 or a 
50 to one for the Birches.

Other links:
http://www.massmaple.org/myo.html (this one says to use 
elderberry..DONT!!!!! Elderberry bark, leaves and seeds are TOXIC!)



tenzicut

