The art of maple syrup production
By Doron Tyler Antrim
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
A seminar about maple syrup production was held Saturday at the Agroforestry Resource Center.
Steve Childs, New York state maple specialist with Cornell University, delivered the talk to about a dozen people, some of whom said they’re looking to get into the activity for the first time — a group Childs called the “backyarders.”
It’s good to start by knowing what trees are best.
All types of maple trees can be tapped, Childs said, including sugar, black, red, silver, striped and box elder. Some are preferred more than others, though. Childs said the black maple, which gets its name from its black-colored buds, is primarily used. It lives the longest and yields the sweetest sap, he said.
Red, silver, box elder, norway and striped maples are secondary because they tend to have lower sugar content, which makes for a lengthier boiling process. (The sap must be boiled to remove the water.)
Although maples generally feature vertical bark, there are many varieties. The branches — reddish-brown in color and with sharp buds growing opposite one another — are a better giveaway. The trees have five lobes, but each variety has its own slightly different characteristics.
Knowing when to tap a tree is also important. In this case, temperature rules everything. Explaining that maples “will not do much until they can warm up,” Childs told the audience they should watch weather forecasts closely to see when temperatures will rise above freezing for a sustained period.
He said the generally followed timetable to begin tapping is from Feb. 15 to March 1.
The timing is everything, according to Childs, because tapping too early will result in dried up holes. Meanwhile, the producer will lose out on the first good flow of sap by tapping too late.
It’s only required that a hole be drilled 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches deep, although it must be at an upward angle. The holes can be either 5/16 or 7/16 of an inch wide. A spout placed in the hole holds up the bucket that collects the sap.
Holes should be drilled at about shoulder height. Avoid tapping in bark splits, Childs warned, as this will cause leakage and other problems.
It’s recommended there be only one tap for a tree 10 to 17 inches in diameter, two taps for a tree 18 to 24 inches in diameter and three taps for a tree 25 inches or more.
It’s important to pay attention to the color of the shavings during the drilling process, Childs said. If the shavings are light in color, then the wood is healthy. If the shavings are dark, it may mean the area has been tapped before and thus should be avoided.
If a tree can sustain being tapped more than once, it’s important to space out the holes at 1 1/2 inches apart and slightly above or below the first hole.
The sap should be collected daily or several times a day in food-safe containers, Childs said.
Although most think of the iconic galvanized buckets as the way sap is collected, tubing is a modern alternative that Childs said can be less expensive and less arduous for the small producer. The tools required in an operation using the tubing method can be expensive, though.
The tubes connect to the spouts in the tree and funnel the sap to collecting vats.
Filtering the sap is a must do, Childs said, because insects and other pests are frequently found in the buckets. The sap must be processed immediately to avoid fermentation. It must be kept cool and out of the sun.
It is then boiled to remove the water.
In order to be qualify as syrup, it must have a 66 percent sugar content.
In order for the syrup to be sold commercially, it must be filtered for nontoxic minerals. The syrup is extremely hot, 180 degrees, when it is put in a jar.
Childs said vacuum technology and a reverse osmosis device are tools that can make producing syrup a profitable enterprise because they drastically cut the time needed for boiling.
Anywhere from 7 to 25 gallons of sap can be collected from one tap, Childs said. And from that between 1 pint and 1/2 gallon of syrup will be made. It takes about 40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup.
Saturday’s program was the latest in Cornell Cooperative Extension’s winter lecture series, which runs into March.
On Saturday, March 19, the resource center will host Maple Fest, a free event where the public can learn about producing maple syrup and view demonstrations. Taste testing will be available. Vendors will also be selling locally made maple sugar products. The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
For more information about maple syrup, visit the Maple Producers Associations’ website at http://www.nysmaple.com/ or Cornell Cooperative Extension’s maple syrup resource page at http://www.cornellmaple.com/.
Steve Childs, New York state maple specialist with Cornell University, delivered the talk to about a dozen people, some of whom said they’re looking to get into the activity for the first time — a group Childs called the “backyarders.”
It’s good to start by knowing what trees are best.
All types of maple trees can be tapped, Childs said, including sugar, black, red, silver, striped and box elder. Some are preferred more than others, though. Childs said the black maple, which gets its name from its black-colored buds, is primarily used. It lives the longest and yields the sweetest sap, he said.
Red, silver, box elder, norway and striped maples are secondary because they tend to have lower sugar content, which makes for a lengthier boiling process. (The sap must be boiled to remove the water.)
Although maples generally feature vertical bark, there are many varieties. The branches — reddish-brown in color and with sharp buds growing opposite one another — are a better giveaway. The trees have five lobes, but each variety has its own slightly different characteristics.
Knowing when to tap a tree is also important. In this case, temperature rules everything. Explaining that maples “will not do much until they can warm up,” Childs told the audience they should watch weather forecasts closely to see when temperatures will rise above freezing for a sustained period.
He said the generally followed timetable to begin tapping is from Feb. 15 to March 1.
The timing is everything, according to Childs, because tapping too early will result in dried up holes. Meanwhile, the producer will lose out on the first good flow of sap by tapping too late.
It’s only required that a hole be drilled 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches deep, although it must be at an upward angle. The holes can be either 5/16 or 7/16 of an inch wide. A spout placed in the hole holds up the bucket that collects the sap.
Holes should be drilled at about shoulder height. Avoid tapping in bark splits, Childs warned, as this will cause leakage and other problems.
It’s recommended there be only one tap for a tree 10 to 17 inches in diameter, two taps for a tree 18 to 24 inches in diameter and three taps for a tree 25 inches or more.
It’s important to pay attention to the color of the shavings during the drilling process, Childs said. If the shavings are light in color, then the wood is healthy. If the shavings are dark, it may mean the area has been tapped before and thus should be avoided.
If a tree can sustain being tapped more than once, it’s important to space out the holes at 1 1/2 inches apart and slightly above or below the first hole.
The sap should be collected daily or several times a day in food-safe containers, Childs said.
Although most think of the iconic galvanized buckets as the way sap is collected, tubing is a modern alternative that Childs said can be less expensive and less arduous for the small producer. The tools required in an operation using the tubing method can be expensive, though.
The tubes connect to the spouts in the tree and funnel the sap to collecting vats.
Filtering the sap is a must do, Childs said, because insects and other pests are frequently found in the buckets. The sap must be processed immediately to avoid fermentation. It must be kept cool and out of the sun.
It is then boiled to remove the water.
In order to be qualify as syrup, it must have a 66 percent sugar content.
In order for the syrup to be sold commercially, it must be filtered for nontoxic minerals. The syrup is extremely hot, 180 degrees, when it is put in a jar.
Childs said vacuum technology and a reverse osmosis device are tools that can make producing syrup a profitable enterprise because they drastically cut the time needed for boiling.
Anywhere from 7 to 25 gallons of sap can be collected from one tap, Childs said. And from that between 1 pint and 1/2 gallon of syrup will be made. It takes about 40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup.
Saturday’s program was the latest in Cornell Cooperative Extension’s winter lecture series, which runs into March.
On Saturday, March 19, the resource center will host Maple Fest, a free event where the public can learn about producing maple syrup and view demonstrations. Taste testing will be available. Vendors will also be selling locally made maple sugar products. The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
For more information about maple syrup, visit the Maple Producers Associations’ website at http://www.nysmaple.com/ or Cornell Cooperative Extension’s maple syrup resource page at http://www.cornellmaple.com/.
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