All About Maple

Find A Maple Woods To Tap Make sure you identify a maple tree not a cherry tree or another kind of tree Make sure the trees you are going to tap are at least 8 inches in diameter Also set up a forest management plan

Set up a sap gathering system Decide if you are going to use buckets or tubing Plan how you are going to gather your sap from the trees : if you are going to use buckets you need to have vehicle access, if you are using tubing have a layout map. Invest in your materials

Set up sugar house Make sure you have the following clean food grade approved items: storage tank for your sap, an evaporator, bottles or barrels, filter, clean running water. reverse osmosis is optional Somewhere to store finished syrup in bottles or barrels

Tap your trees The time to tap your trees is when winter is ending Sap runs best when days are degrees fahrenheit and nights are 25 degrees fahrenheit Make sure you have the following when you tap: a drill, a hammer, snowshoes and clothes that will keep you warm

Watch the sap run!

Getting ready to boil Make sure to have enough sap to fill your evaporator pans Pre-filter sap to remove any twigs or leaves If you have a reverse osmosis concentrate the sap to save time and energy boiling

Boil sap into delicious syrup The sap is boiled to about 212 degrees fahrenheit Syrup is “done” when it is above 66% sugar (this is measured with a hydrometer) Syrup is filtered when taken out of the evaporator

Preparing syrup First, grade the syrup by color and flavor Put hot syrup in food grade barrels or bottles, label and store in a cool place

Other Maple Products

Enjoy Your New York Maple!

Thanks to our 12 year old author of this slide show Cole Werner of Rush NY