Ever wonder how pure maple syrup goes from the maple trees in our sugar bush to the bottle on your breakfast table? The process is a blend of tradition, science, and a little bit of magic. Join us on a journey through the tapping , boiling, and bottling that transforms simple tree sap into liquid gold.
Tapping the Trees: The First Step in the Sweet Process
The timing of tapping the trees is dictated by the weather. We aim to tap the trees right before temperatures start to vary between freezing at night and slightly above freezing during the day. Cold nights and warm days are crucial for sap to flow.
A drill is utilized to create a new hole in each maple tree, ensuring it is positioned approximately 15-20 cm (6 to 8 inches) away from the previous year's tap hole. After drilling the hole, a spigot is inserted; this is a plastic tap with a hose that channels the sap from the tree into the collection bag.
We opt for bags over buckets for sap collection because, in our smaller sugar bushes, the wind frequently blew the buckets away. The bags are dark blue to protect the sap from sunlight and are crafted from thick plastic, similar in thickness to milk bags. Before the season begins, we prepare the bags by folding the bag opening around the spout, a plastic pipe piece, and securing it with a hose clamp. In the bush, each bag hangs on a nail beneath the spigot and is kept from blowing away with a clothespin clipped to the nail.
Collecting Sap: Nature's Liquid Treasure
The collection process involves three generations heading out into the sugar bush to collaborate as a team. Our maple syrup operation is small and more of a hobby, so we don't use hose systems or vacuum pumps to transport the sap to the evaporator. Instead, we manually collect the sap. We use 5-gallon collection pails to pour the sap from each blue bag, carry them out of the bush, and then transfer the sap into a large tank on our loader tractor.
Although it takes some time, it offers a wonderful experience, allowing us to check the taps and monitor each tree's production while we're there. The kids especially enjoy trying to catch a drip of sap on their tongues directly from the spigot.
Boiling it Down: Turning Sap into Syrup
The sugar shack is where the magic occurs. During the evaporation process, the sap is boiled for many hours, leaving behind only pure maple syrup. The ratio is 40:1, sap to syrup, meaning that for every 40 liters of sap we boil, we produce 1 liter of maple syrup.
Our evaporator is wood-fired, so someone is always on duty in the syrup shack, adding wood to the firebox to maintain the fire. A float controls the liquid level in the evaporator pan and is directly connected to the sap tank, ensuring fresh sap is constantly added and the pan never runs dry. It would be disastrous to scorch the pan and ruin a batch of syrup at this stage after so much effort!
The evaporator pan is divided into sections, with fresh sap entering at one end and pure maple syrup being extracted at the other. A thermometer specifically designed for maple syrup measures the temperature at the finishing pan end of the evaporator. Once it reaches 7 degrees Fahrenheit above the boiling point of water (212 degrees F), or 219 degrees F, the syrup is ready. In our system, we finish a batch of maple syrup approximately every 3 hours.
From Our Farm to Your Table: Bottling and Enjoying the Final Product
The final stage in the process is bottling. This is done at a separate station from the evaporator, using propane heat for more precise temperature control. The maple syrup is reheated to 219 degrees F on the propane burner, and then we use a tap to fill pre-heated glass bottles. Pre-warming the glass bottles in our oven bottle warmer is crucial when pouring such hot liquid into them.
The bottling process is a true team effort, with everyone managing one of the stations. One person hands warm bottles from the bottle oven to the filler, who then passes them to another person to cap the jars, and a final person rotates each bottle to ensure the hot maple syrup seals it.
During the entire process, from the sugar bush to bottling, the sap or maple syrup is filtered each time it is transferred. It undergoes filtration a total of seven times throughout its journey. This guarantees that our maple syrup is as pure as possible.
The Last Step: Savoring a Sugary Delight
This is where you come into the process, to discover enjoyable ways to savor maple syrup. While it tastes great on pancakes and waffles, there are so many other exciting ways to use it, such as in cocktails, glazes, or even drizzled over a vegetable stir fry. We'd love for you to share your favorite way to enjoy our maple syrup; please leave a comment to let us know.
Now you understand how sap is transformed into maple syrup at Hat Trick Farms. Stay updated by following our social media accounts for daily posts from the maple bush and sugar shack throughout the season.
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