“Extension Excerpts” from University of Maine Cooperative Extension’s publications library
HOW TO TAP MAPLE TREES AND MAKE MAPLE SYRUP
It takes about 10 gallons of sap to produce one quart of syrup. The yield of sap varies greatly with the method of tapping, the size of the tree, and seasonal differences, with the average yield for a taphole being from five to 15 gallons. The sugar content of sap can also vary a great deal. Sugar maple trees (Acer saccharum), are usually the best producers. Red maples (Acer rubrum) also provide sweet sap.
Tapping Trees A tree should be at least 10 inches in diameter, measured at 4 1/2 feet above the ground, before tapping. Trees between 10 and 20 inches in diameter should have no more than one tap per tree. A second tap may be added to trees between 20 and 25 inches in diameter. Trees over 25 inches in diameter can sustain three taps. No tree should ever have more than three taps.
Step 1. Drill the hole using a drill bit with a diameter of 7/16 inch, two inches deep if you are using standard size spouts. If you are using small taps (5/16 inch), or the health spout (19/64 inch), use the corresponding drill bit size and drill the taphole only 1 1/2 inches deep. Drill with a slight upward angle so the sap flows out readily.
Step 2. Tap the spout in so that it is tight and cannot be pulled out by hand. But don't drive it in so hard that you split the tree. Tap on warmer days to minimize the risk of splitting the tree.
Step 3. Hang your bucket or container on the hook of the spout if it is a purchased one; or, if you have made your own, use wire as a hanger. Cover the bucket to keep out rain, snow, and foreign material.
Boiling Sap
Step 1. Use a hobby-sized evaporator, an outdoor gas range, or an outdoor fireplace, and have a large pan or series of pans ready for the sap. (Don’t do this indoors: boiling sap creates a lot of steam.)
Step 2. Do not fill your pan to the top, as it will boil over. As the sap boils down, keep adding more sap. Keep the sap at least 1 1/2 inches deep in the pan, or it may burn. Never leave boiling sap over a wood fire unattended.
Step 3. Do not leave sap in the collection buckets, especially in warm weather. Sap will sour if left in the sun. Keep the sap in cold storage. Boil it as soon as you can.
Step 4. Sap becomes finished maple syrup when it reaches 66-67 percent sugar content and 7.1 degrees F above the temperature of boiling water. You can learn the boiling point of water, which varies depending on your elevation and the barometric pressure, by measuring the temperature of the raw sap when it begins a rolling boil with a syrup or candy thermometer. Concentrations below 66 percent sugar content can sour over time, and above 67 percent can form sugar crystals in the bottom of storage containers.
Step 5. Filter syrup while still hot to remove “sugar sand” before you hot-pack it in containers, using clean filter material such as wool or Orlon™, available from maple equipment dealers. Or you may put the syrup in a container and let it cool for 12 hours. The sediment will settle and the clear syrup can be poured off. This should be reheated to 180 degrees F before it is poured into containers for final storage.
Step 6. Syrup should be canned hot (180 degrees F). Pour the hot syrup into sterilized canning jars and seal. Fill them full so that very little air will be in the jar. Lay them sideways while cooling for a better seal.
Step 7. Store your syrup in a cool, dry place, with the jars turned on their sides to coat the air space at the top of the jar. After a container has been opened for use, it must be refrigerated. Should mold form on syrup that has been stored for several months, discard the syrup: there is the potential for contamination by a micro-organism that can cause foodborne illness.
Step 8. Be sure to clean your equipment with plenty of hot water and a solution of one part chlorine to 20 parts water (no soap or detergent). Ttriple-rinse with hot water.
Where to Go for Help
The Maine Forest Service and University of Maine Cooperative Extension both provide help for beginning maple syrup producers:
• Maine Forest Service, 800-367-0223 or http://www.state.me.us/doc/mfs/
• Your county UMaine Cooperative Extension office: 800-287-0274.
This column was excerpted and adapted from “How to Tap Maple Trees and Make Maple Syrup,” bulletin #7036 from University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Visit UMaine Extension at www.extension.umaine.edu and click on “Publications” for information on additional topics.
For more than 90 years, University of Maine Cooperative Extension has supported UMaine’s land-grant public education role by conducting community-driven, research-based programs in every Maine county.
It takes about 10 gallons of sap to produce one quart of syrup. The yield of sap varies greatly with the method of tapping, the size of the tree, and seasonal differences, with the average yield for a taphole being from five to 15 gallons. The sugar content of sap can also vary a great deal. Sugar maple trees (Acer saccharum), are usually the best producers. Red maples (Acer rubrum) also provide sweet sap.
Tapping Trees A tree should be at least 10 inches in diameter, measured at 4 1/2 feet above the ground, before tapping. Trees between 10 and 20 inches in diameter should have no more than one tap per tree. A second tap may be added to trees between 20 and 25 inches in diameter. Trees over 25 inches in diameter can sustain three taps. No tree should ever have more than three taps.
Step 1. Drill the hole using a drill bit with a diameter of 7/16 inch, two inches deep if you are using standard size spouts. If you are using small taps (5/16 inch), or the health spout (19/64 inch), use the corresponding drill bit size and drill the taphole only 1 1/2 inches deep. Drill with a slight upward angle so the sap flows out readily.
Step 2. Tap the spout in so that it is tight and cannot be pulled out by hand. But don't drive it in so hard that you split the tree. Tap on warmer days to minimize the risk of splitting the tree.
Step 3. Hang your bucket or container on the hook of the spout if it is a purchased one; or, if you have made your own, use wire as a hanger. Cover the bucket to keep out rain, snow, and foreign material.
Boiling Sap
Step 1. Use a hobby-sized evaporator, an outdoor gas range, or an outdoor fireplace, and have a large pan or series of pans ready for the sap. (Don’t do this indoors: boiling sap creates a lot of steam.)
Step 2. Do not fill your pan to the top, as it will boil over. As the sap boils down, keep adding more sap. Keep the sap at least 1 1/2 inches deep in the pan, or it may burn. Never leave boiling sap over a wood fire unattended.
Step 3. Do not leave sap in the collection buckets, especially in warm weather. Sap will sour if left in the sun. Keep the sap in cold storage. Boil it as soon as you can.
Step 4. Sap becomes finished maple syrup when it reaches 66-67 percent sugar content and 7.1 degrees F above the temperature of boiling water. You can learn the boiling point of water, which varies depending on your elevation and the barometric pressure, by measuring the temperature of the raw sap when it begins a rolling boil with a syrup or candy thermometer. Concentrations below 66 percent sugar content can sour over time, and above 67 percent can form sugar crystals in the bottom of storage containers.
Step 5. Filter syrup while still hot to remove “sugar sand” before you hot-pack it in containers, using clean filter material such as wool or Orlon™, available from maple equipment dealers. Or you may put the syrup in a container and let it cool for 12 hours. The sediment will settle and the clear syrup can be poured off. This should be reheated to 180 degrees F before it is poured into containers for final storage.
Step 6. Syrup should be canned hot (180 degrees F). Pour the hot syrup into sterilized canning jars and seal. Fill them full so that very little air will be in the jar. Lay them sideways while cooling for a better seal.
Step 7. Store your syrup in a cool, dry place, with the jars turned on their sides to coat the air space at the top of the jar. After a container has been opened for use, it must be refrigerated. Should mold form on syrup that has been stored for several months, discard the syrup: there is the potential for contamination by a micro-organism that can cause foodborne illness.
Step 8. Be sure to clean your equipment with plenty of hot water and a solution of one part chlorine to 20 parts water (no soap or detergent). Ttriple-rinse with hot water.
Where to Go for Help
The Maine Forest Service and University of Maine Cooperative Extension both provide help for beginning maple syrup producers:
• Maine Forest Service, 800-367-0223 or http://www.state.me.us/doc/mfs/
• Your county UMaine Cooperative Extension office: 800-287-0274.
This column was excerpted and adapted from “How to Tap Maple Trees and Make Maple Syrup,” bulletin #7036 from University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Visit UMaine Extension at www.extension.umaine.edu and click on “Publications” for information on additional topics.
For more than 90 years, University of Maine Cooperative Extension has supported UMaine’s land-grant public education role by conducting community-driven, research-based programs in every Maine county.
posted by UMaine Extension at 2:51 PM
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