Making Maple Syrup
Sugar Maple is preferred, because “. . . the Sugar Maple contains about 3% sugar, whereas the saps from the other maple trees contain half to two thirds as much . . . (and) these other saps are darker and less flavor full” (Mann, p15). Making the finest maple syrup is much more than just boiling 40 gallons of sap down to about one gallon of maple syrup as the story begins with cleanliness, tapping 50 trees, filtering the sap, tending the fire, keeping the boil, final cooking, and sterilized bottling. March 2015.
Tapping the Sugar Maple (need photos)
VDA Recommendation: All tap holes must be drilled into healthy, clean, white wood. . . . generally a depth of not more than 2-1/2 inches . . . When dark colored wood shows in the hole, that tap should not be used. Spouts should be inserted immediately after drilling; they should be tapped in gently to avoid any unnecessary damage to the tree. When removing wood chips, use a twig or other clean tool to brush them out.
VDA Recommendation: All tap holes must be drilled into healthy, clean, white wood. . . . generally a depth of not more than 2-1/2 inches . . . When dark colored wood shows in the hole, that tap should not be used. Spouts should be inserted immediately after drilling; they should be tapped in gently to avoid any unnecessary damage to the tree. When removing wood chips, use a twig or other clean tool to brush them out.
Sugar Maple Sap Flows Sunrise-to-Sunset
The best day for sap collection is after solid freeze over night when the temperature drops to the mid- to low-20s and then starts to heat-up at sunrise to above 50 by mid-day until sunset. During the best days, you should collect twice a day and expect your trees to continue producing sap well past sunset so you can have a mid-morning collection the following day if temperatures rise to the high 30s to mid-40s
The best day for sap collection is after solid freeze over night when the temperature drops to the mid- to low-20s and then starts to heat-up at sunrise to above 50 by mid-day until sunset. During the best days, you should collect twice a day and expect your trees to continue producing sap well past sunset so you can have a mid-morning collection the following day if temperatures rise to the high 30s to mid-40s
Collecting Tree Sap
Many different kinds of containers can be used to collect sap from the sugar maple tree after it is tapped. These photographs show three different contains: Disposable blue bags used for one season to avoid having to clean and story buckets until the following season, large capacity buckets that will ensure you won’t miss a drop of sap, and the use of plastic food containers such as the macaroni salad containers. One gallon milk containers can also be used. The blue bags and buckets have the largest capacity and can hold a day’s supply when the sap is really running on a good day
VDA Recommendation: Sanitizers – One part unscented household chlorine bleach (such as unscented Chlorox) to twenty parts of clean water may be used for rinsing, but flushing afterwards with clean, clear water is essential.
VDA Recommendation: Prior to use, spouts should be cleaned and dip-rinsed in a chlorine bleach solution (one part of unscented chlorine bleach to twenty parts of water) and then rinsed thoroughly in hot water.
Many different kinds of containers can be used to collect sap from the sugar maple tree after it is tapped. These photographs show three different contains: Disposable blue bags used for one season to avoid having to clean and story buckets until the following season, large capacity buckets that will ensure you won’t miss a drop of sap, and the use of plastic food containers such as the macaroni salad containers. One gallon milk containers can also be used. The blue bags and buckets have the largest capacity and can hold a day’s supply when the sap is really running on a good day
VDA Recommendation: Sanitizers – One part unscented household chlorine bleach (such as unscented Chlorox) to twenty parts of clean water may be used for rinsing, but flushing afterwards with clean, clear water is essential.
VDA Recommendation: Prior to use, spouts should be cleaned and dip-rinsed in a chlorine bleach solution (one part of unscented chlorine bleach to twenty parts of water) and then rinsed thoroughly in hot water.
Sap at Sunset
Harvesting the Tree Sap
You will need larger buckets to harvest the tree sap from the forest. One excellent source is used joint compound buckets that will hold five to six gallons of sap. When the sap is running, the bucket will hold sap from eight to ten taps. On the good days when the sap is really running, you will need to carry two buckets into the forest. Large buckets are also essential to store enough maple sap for a full day’s boil.
Tree tapping guidelines are provided by Mann (p12): You’re not supposed to tap a tree under 10” in diameter, but you can put two taps in a tree over 18” in diameter and three in one that is over, say, 28”. Mann also state that you’ll get better runs on the southeast to southwest sides of the trunk and if you drill directly over a large root or below a large healthy branch.
VDA Recommendation: Hand or machine scrubbing of buckets and pails should be done thoroughly with hot water.
You will need larger buckets to harvest the tree sap from the forest. One excellent source is used joint compound buckets that will hold five to six gallons of sap. When the sap is running, the bucket will hold sap from eight to ten taps. On the good days when the sap is really running, you will need to carry two buckets into the forest. Large buckets are also essential to store enough maple sap for a full day’s boil.
Tree tapping guidelines are provided by Mann (p12): You’re not supposed to tap a tree under 10” in diameter, but you can put two taps in a tree over 18” in diameter and three in one that is over, say, 28”. Mann also state that you’ll get better runs on the southeast to southwest sides of the trunk and if you drill directly over a large root or below a large healthy branch.
VDA Recommendation: Hand or machine scrubbing of buckets and pails should be done thoroughly with hot water.
First Filtering
During sap harvesting, different debris will fall into your bucket. It is unavoidable, and it is best to filtering the debris out of your sap to ensure the purity of the sap. It will also make the second filtering much easier to get rid of the larger debris such as pine needles out of your sap. The filtering is quick but does take two people, one to pour the sap and the other to hold the screen.
VDA Recommendation: Anything added to sap, even in quantities so small as to be undetectable, will become concentrated as the sap is boiled and the syrup is produced, causing an off-flavor.
During sap harvesting, different debris will fall into your bucket. It is unavoidable, and it is best to filtering the debris out of your sap to ensure the purity of the sap. It will also make the second filtering much easier to get rid of the larger debris such as pine needles out of your sap. The filtering is quick but does take two people, one to pour the sap and the other to hold the screen.
VDA Recommendation: Anything added to sap, even in quantities so small as to be undetectable, will become concentrated as the sap is boiled and the syrup is produced, causing an off-flavor.
Second Filtering
The second filtering is pouring the sap through a coffee filter and will ensure that any micro elements in the sap will be captured and will ensure the purity of the sap that is put into the cooker. As you can see in the photographs, the sap is scooped from the harvesting buckets and poured through the coffee filter into large gallon jars. Change filters every two or three jars.
VDA Recommendation: Fresh, clean sap which has been kept cool during collection and prior to boiling will produce syrup which is one to two grades higher than old, contaminated sap.
VDA Recommendation: Filter sap through multiple filters, first through coarse filtering materials to remove bark, small wood shavings and debris, then through a finer filter. Removing foreign materials from the sap before it is evaporated will usually upgrade syrup by at least one grade.
The second filtering is pouring the sap through a coffee filter and will ensure that any micro elements in the sap will be captured and will ensure the purity of the sap that is put into the cooker. As you can see in the photographs, the sap is scooped from the harvesting buckets and poured through the coffee filter into large gallon jars. Change filters every two or three jars.
VDA Recommendation: Fresh, clean sap which has been kept cool during collection and prior to boiling will produce syrup which is one to two grades higher than old, contaminated sap.
VDA Recommendation: Filter sap through multiple filters, first through coarse filtering materials to remove bark, small wood shavings and debris, then through a finer filter. Removing foreign materials from the sap before it is evaporated will usually upgrade syrup by at least one grade.
The Cooker (The Evaporator)
The major step in the process of making maple syrup is the cooker. There are many types homemade and commercial cookers. The cooker used by South Shore Syrup Company is from W. F. Mason, because it has three chambers with a pre-heat drip bucket and a drain at the end of the third chamber so the cooked sap, near-syrup, can be slowly drained during the cooking process. This avoids overcooking the syrup which tends to darken its color. The objective is to boil the sap as fast as possible using fresh sap according to Mann.
VDA Recommendation: To obtain the highest quality syrup, sap should be evaporated as quickly as possible. Holding sap in buckets or tanks lowers the quality of the syrup produced from that sap. . . . Generally a shallow sap depth and a hot fire make for rapid syrup production, and high grade syrup.
The major step in the process of making maple syrup is the cooker. There are many types homemade and commercial cookers. The cooker used by South Shore Syrup Company is from W. F. Mason, because it has three chambers with a pre-heat drip bucket and a drain at the end of the third chamber so the cooked sap, near-syrup, can be slowly drained during the cooking process. This avoids overcooking the syrup which tends to darken its color. The objective is to boil the sap as fast as possible using fresh sap according to Mann.
VDA Recommendation: To obtain the highest quality syrup, sap should be evaporated as quickly as possible. Holding sap in buckets or tanks lowers the quality of the syrup produced from that sap. . . . Generally a shallow sap depth and a hot fire make for rapid syrup production, and high grade syrup.
Hardwood for Cooking Maple Sap
Cooking 40 gallons of maple sap to produce about a gallon of syrup requires about two to three wheel barrel loads of dried hard wood. According to Mann, you will want a good roaring fire and a half a cord of good dry wood to make 5 gallons of syrup.
Cooking 40 gallons of maple sap to produce about a gallon of syrup requires about two to three wheel barrel loads of dried hard wood. According to Mann, you will want a good roaring fire and a half a cord of good dry wood to make 5 gallons of syrup.
Keeping the Boil
In order to boil down 40 to 60 gallons of maple sap in one day, 12 to 14 hour day, you must keep the fire hot so the sap is boiling in all three chambers all the time. There is an art to keeping the fire hot. The hardwood must be dried from the previous season, slip into smaller pieces, and rested against the cooker to further dry the hardwood. It is important to build a fire that creates a lot of hot, red ash and that the wood be added a few pieces at a time in order to avoid killing the boil. Finally the hot ash must be “poked” so there is good air intake from under the hot red ash. With experience, you can tell when the boil is slowing and more wood is needed.
In order to boil down 40 to 60 gallons of maple sap in one day, 12 to 14 hour day, you must keep the fire hot so the sap is boiling in all three chambers all the time. There is an art to keeping the fire hot. The hardwood must be dried from the previous season, slip into smaller pieces, and rested against the cooker to further dry the hardwood. It is important to build a fire that creates a lot of hot, red ash and that the wood be added a few pieces at a time in order to avoid killing the boil. Finally the hot ash must be “poked” so there is good air intake from under the hot red ash. With experience, you can tell when the boil is slowing and more wood is needed.
Skimming the Foam
Another small but important step in the boiling of the sap is to skim the foam that forms during the boiling. It is believed that the foam contains impurities that will affect the final maple syrup. So a hand screener is used to capture and discard the foam. During the cooking process, this can be done about every fifteen minutes. Mann recommends removing the foam, because it tends to reduce the boiling surface area and states that any residual foam can be removed when you filter your syrup.
Another small but important step in the boiling of the sap is to skim the foam that forms during the boiling. It is believed that the foam contains impurities that will affect the final maple syrup. So a hand screener is used to capture and discard the foam. During the cooking process, this can be done about every fifteen minutes. Mann recommends removing the foam, because it tends to reduce the boiling surface area and states that any residual foam can be removed when you filter your syrup.
“Slow Drip” Bucket
Commonly an 18” x 24” evaporator pan is used to boil the sap, and all the 40 to 60 gallons of sap is added to the pan until nearly all the water is boiled out of the sap leaving liquid that is “almost” maple syrup. The final boiling is then done on the kitchen stove as will be explained later. In the case of the M.F. Mason three-chamber evaporator, the boiled sap is slowly drained from the end of the third chamber in order to avoid overcooking the syrup. You can see how the “slow drip” bucket fills up during the day.
Commonly an 18” x 24” evaporator pan is used to boil the sap, and all the 40 to 60 gallons of sap is added to the pan until nearly all the water is boiled out of the sap leaving liquid that is “almost” maple syrup. The final boiling is then done on the kitchen stove as will be explained later. In the case of the M.F. Mason three-chamber evaporator, the boiled sap is slowly drained from the end of the third chamber in order to avoid overcooking the syrup. You can see how the “slow drip” bucket fills up during the day.
Final Cooking on WF Mason Evaporator
After adding all the sap to the evaporator, the pre-heat unit is removed and the boil is watch carefully as the sap is nearing maple syrup. The fire is closely monitor to ensure there is enough hot, red ash and a few logs to keep the boil steady and strong. However, if the fire is too hot and the boil at its maximum, there is a danger that the remaining sap in the evaporator could turn to maple sugar before it can be removed from the pan. During this “final cooking” on the evaporator that the “liquid” from the “slow drip” pan is added back into the evaporator. The liquid, near-syrup, is mixed across all three chambers and a hydrometer is used to test the liquid. Once the hydrometer begins to flow, preparations are made to drain the evaporator.
After adding all the sap to the evaporator, the pre-heat unit is removed and the boil is watch carefully as the sap is nearing maple syrup. The fire is closely monitor to ensure there is enough hot, red ash and a few logs to keep the boil steady and strong. However, if the fire is too hot and the boil at its maximum, there is a danger that the remaining sap in the evaporator could turn to maple sugar before it can be removed from the pan. During this “final cooking” on the evaporator that the “liquid” from the “slow drip” pan is added back into the evaporator. The liquid, near-syrup, is mixed across all three chambers and a hydrometer is used to test the liquid. Once the hydrometer begins to flow, preparations are made to drain the evaporator.
Pouring Off Near-Syrup
Once the hydrometer begins to float indicating that it is nearly pure maple syrup, preparations are made to lift the evaporator pan off the fire, fully open the value in the third chamber and tilt the evaporator so that all the liquid, near-syrup, drains from the pan. It is definitely a two-man operation and a third person would be helpful.
Once the hydrometer begins to float indicating that it is nearly pure maple syrup, preparations are made to lift the evaporator pan off the fire, fully open the value in the third chamber and tilt the evaporator so that all the liquid, near-syrup, drains from the pan. It is definitely a two-man operation and a third person would be helpful.
Cleaning the evaporator at the end of a 16-hour day of boiling sap.
Bucket of Near-syrup
The bucket of near-syrup is not ready for final cooking on the kitchen stove to bottle.
The bucket of near-syrup is not ready for final cooking on the kitchen stove to bottle.
Final Cooking and Bottling
Start with a clean kitchen. The cooked sap, near-syrup, which was drained from the evaporator still needs to be filtered or left in the refrigerator to settle in order to eliminate the niter and to produce clear maple syrup. A hydrometer is used to measure the density of the boiling sap. Mann (p 69) suggests the use of a spatula to determine the near-syrup stage: “. . . if you dip a spatula into the batch and take it out and the residue tends to come off in small gooey sheets (aproning) rather than in drops, you’ve got syrup.” On page 78, Mann states: “The aproning effect gives you a feeling for the syrup’s consistency, and traditionally, syrup is not syrup until it aprons.”
The bottles need to be sterilized as with the canning of any fresh vegetable or fruit. Once the bottles are filled and cap tightened, the bottles should be turned over in order to sterilize the caps.
VDA Recommendation: “Cold” pack has caused more spoilage of syrup than almost any other factor. Always pack syrup hot! When packed at the recommended temperature, the hot syrup will sterilize its container, preventing spoilage. Then, when properly sealed, a vacuum will be created, preventing contamination.
VDA Recommendation: The lowest safe temperature limit for packing syrup is 180 degress F. . . . After capping the hot syrup, immediately lay each container on its side, neck down, in order to sterilized the air pocket and cap. Check the closure for leaks.
Start with a clean kitchen. The cooked sap, near-syrup, which was drained from the evaporator still needs to be filtered or left in the refrigerator to settle in order to eliminate the niter and to produce clear maple syrup. A hydrometer is used to measure the density of the boiling sap. Mann (p 69) suggests the use of a spatula to determine the near-syrup stage: “. . . if you dip a spatula into the batch and take it out and the residue tends to come off in small gooey sheets (aproning) rather than in drops, you’ve got syrup.” On page 78, Mann states: “The aproning effect gives you a feeling for the syrup’s consistency, and traditionally, syrup is not syrup until it aprons.”
The bottles need to be sterilized as with the canning of any fresh vegetable or fruit. Once the bottles are filled and cap tightened, the bottles should be turned over in order to sterilize the caps.
VDA Recommendation: “Cold” pack has caused more spoilage of syrup than almost any other factor. Always pack syrup hot! When packed at the recommended temperature, the hot syrup will sterilize its container, preventing spoilage. Then, when properly sealed, a vacuum will be created, preventing contamination.
VDA Recommendation: The lowest safe temperature limit for packing syrup is 180 degress F. . . . After capping the hot syrup, immediately lay each container on its side, neck down, in order to sterilized the air pocket and cap. Check the closure for leaks.
Settling the niter in large jars and final bottling of second batch of maple syrup.
Final Filtering to Maximize Grade
Performing the final filtering of your finished maple syrup is one of the most challenging jobs for the backyard, small batch (1 to 3 gallons) processing maple syrup operation. The goal is to have clear, fog-free, maple syrup, even though, the taste is same regardless of whether the syrup is foggy or fog-free. Clear, fog-free syrup significantly increases the syrup’s grade and more importantly its appeal to syrup lover.
For the small-batch processer, obtaining clear, fog-free syrup, the final stage of processing, is the real challenge. Filtering the initial niter using a large cloth bag is part of the answer as the syrup will be hot from the boiler when this is done. However, during the final boil on your kitchen stove to get your sap boiled down to pure maple syrup still produces some niter that causes the fogging. The challenge is to filter your pure maple syrup without losing a lot of syrup to the filter and doing so in a timely manner. Cheesecloth will allow you to quickly filter your maple syrup, but it will not get rid of the fine niter that causes the fog. Fine paper filter sold to remove sediment from your maple syrup do an excellent job, but those paper filters tend to clog quickly and reduce a steady flow to a few drops per second and then a few drops per minute during which time your maple syrup begins to cool. Given patience, paper filters could work.
The photos below show three bottoms of maple syrup. The foggy bottle was filtered with cheesecloth. The really clear bottle was the first bottle filtered and third bottle which is less clear was filtered after the syrup was re-heated to raise its temperature above 180 degrees. There appears to be a slight decrease in clearness as the small batch is re-heated to maintain optimum temperature for bottling. Also, due to the change of filter to keep the syrup flowing, a noticeable amount of syrup is left in the filters.
The best method of “filtering” for the small batch processer is to store your near-syrup in large jars after boiling on the evaporator in your refrigerator. Cover the jars with a clear plastic wrap, such as Glad Cling Wrap, and let the near-syrup sit undisturbed for about a week. If you use clear-glass jars, you will see that the dark niter settled to the bottom of the jar, about a ½” of settlement, and the clear maple syrup occupy the remaining 9-1/2” in a 10” high jar. This separation makes it easy to pour off the clear maple syrup, carefully, without disturbing the niter settlement. If you have several large jars, you can then combine the settlement into one jar and let the niter settle again to obtain clearer maple syrup.
Performing the final filtering of your finished maple syrup is one of the most challenging jobs for the backyard, small batch (1 to 3 gallons) processing maple syrup operation. The goal is to have clear, fog-free, maple syrup, even though, the taste is same regardless of whether the syrup is foggy or fog-free. Clear, fog-free syrup significantly increases the syrup’s grade and more importantly its appeal to syrup lover.
For the small-batch processer, obtaining clear, fog-free syrup, the final stage of processing, is the real challenge. Filtering the initial niter using a large cloth bag is part of the answer as the syrup will be hot from the boiler when this is done. However, during the final boil on your kitchen stove to get your sap boiled down to pure maple syrup still produces some niter that causes the fogging. The challenge is to filter your pure maple syrup without losing a lot of syrup to the filter and doing so in a timely manner. Cheesecloth will allow you to quickly filter your maple syrup, but it will not get rid of the fine niter that causes the fog. Fine paper filter sold to remove sediment from your maple syrup do an excellent job, but those paper filters tend to clog quickly and reduce a steady flow to a few drops per second and then a few drops per minute during which time your maple syrup begins to cool. Given patience, paper filters could work.
The photos below show three bottoms of maple syrup. The foggy bottle was filtered with cheesecloth. The really clear bottle was the first bottle filtered and third bottle which is less clear was filtered after the syrup was re-heated to raise its temperature above 180 degrees. There appears to be a slight decrease in clearness as the small batch is re-heated to maintain optimum temperature for bottling. Also, due to the change of filter to keep the syrup flowing, a noticeable amount of syrup is left in the filters.
The best method of “filtering” for the small batch processer is to store your near-syrup in large jars after boiling on the evaporator in your refrigerator. Cover the jars with a clear plastic wrap, such as Glad Cling Wrap, and let the near-syrup sit undisturbed for about a week. If you use clear-glass jars, you will see that the dark niter settled to the bottom of the jar, about a ½” of settlement, and the clear maple syrup occupy the remaining 9-1/2” in a 10” high jar. This separation makes it easy to pour off the clear maple syrup, carefully, without disturbing the niter settlement. If you have several large jars, you can then combine the settlement into one jar and let the niter settle again to obtain clearer maple syrup.
End of Season Clean-up
At the end of the maple syrup season all the buckets and tap spouts need to be collected and washed along with the 5 gallon collection buckets and filtering equipment. We had over 70 taps during the 2015 maple syrup season among three property owners. The photos below show the buckets used to tap about fifty trees. In addition to cleaning the buckets, the sugar shack (garage) must be cleaned to avoid hazardous mold growth. Finally, the evaporator and its protective roofing is removed and stored for use next year.
At the end of the maple syrup season all the buckets and tap spouts need to be collected and washed along with the 5 gallon collection buckets and filtering equipment. We had over 70 taps during the 2015 maple syrup season among three property owners. The photos below show the buckets used to tap about fifty trees. In addition to cleaning the buckets, the sugar shack (garage) must be cleaned to avoid hazardous mold growth. Finally, the evaporator and its protective roofing is removed and stored for use next year.
Sources:
Mann, Rink, Backyard Sugarin’, A Complete How to Guide. The Countrymann Press, Woodstock, VT. 3rd Edition, 1991. ISBN 978-0-88150-216-9.
VDA Recommendations are from Vermont Maple Quality Control Manual with Packing and Pricing Guide available from: Vermont Department of Agriculture, Food & Markets, 116 State Street, (802) 828-2416 or (802) 828-2436; mailing address: 120 State Street, Montpelier, Vermont 05620-2901.
Mann, Rink, Backyard Sugarin’, A Complete How to Guide. The Countrymann Press, Woodstock, VT. 3rd Edition, 1991. ISBN 978-0-88150-216-9.
VDA Recommendations are from Vermont Maple Quality Control Manual with Packing and Pricing Guide available from: Vermont Department of Agriculture, Food & Markets, 116 State Street, (802) 828-2416 or (802) 828-2436; mailing address: 120 State Street, Montpelier, Vermont 05620-2901.
