Maple Syrup - From the Tree to the Table

A favorite Springtime project of mine is to make maple syrup. We don't have any maple trees on our property but my parents do on theirs. Early in March we went over there and tapped the trees. To do that we drill a hole in the tree, insert a spigot (some piping with a tube connected) and connect it up with a bucket so the sap can drain in there and collect. When the days get above freezing but the nights are still below freezing is when the sap really runs.

 Later we go and gather up all the sap that is in the buckets and we put it in this big pan that is over top of a wood stove. Then comes many hours of boiling down the sap. Lots of moisture needs to steam away so that the sap will turn into syrup (get thicker and sweet). The rule of thumb is that it takes 30 gallons of sap to produce 1 gallon of syrup. We tend to not make it quite that thick or sweet so we get more but that is the general rule.

This process takes a lot of wood. We gathered a lot of downed wood from the woods and burned up lots of small brush but Dad also cut down a tree that was nearly dead to use for firewood as well.

This season happened for the most part during quarantine time. Which was actually rather nice timing as we weren't so busy with other things and MN allows you to go places for outdoor activities (which this is) and also encourages agricultural work (food production) to still take place which this also is. So it was a fun outing. It was different then normal though because usually we would spend a fair amount in my parents house while we are over there but we didn't do that this time. We are staying outside and trying to maintain a 6 foot distance from them.

 Aaron has been the helper that joins me most often. He likes to take his bike along and while we have extra time as it is boiling down he goes mountain biking on their hills.

 Normally we would go inside and Mom would feed us lunch but this time we have packed lunches. One day we made some pretty yummy grilled sandwiches (both peanut butter and jam and cream cheese).

 When it has boiled down quite a lot on the wood stove, then we put it in pots and take it home and finish up the boiling on our stove inside.

 After that we can it. I tend to repurpose a lot of jars for this type of canning.

The next step is to make pancakes or waffles and eat it. :-)

  I really love having real maple syrup to use and am thankful that we can produce our own instead of buying it. I had been buying it this past year and though I do understand why it costs so much (all the work that goes into it) I am thankful that we don't have to pay it anymore.

  Anyway, that has been one of our fun activities lately.