As a relatively new resident in New England I have decided that to make myself more native I should make my own maple syrup from the sugar maple trees in the backyard. I have done some reading at it doesn't seem too difficult but the process requires spiles to drain the sap from the trees into the buckets. My question is where or where would I find spiles other than e-bay? Could I go to Home Depot (this doesn't seem to likely) pr some other Boston area store? Has anyone else tried this at home? Any practical advice I might have missed in the books and articles I have seen? My thanks in advance.
Maple syrup at home
No responses from anyone here but if anyone is interested I did find a source for spiles on-line at www.yankeegrocery.com/maple_sugar_supplies.html#maplekitcollection They have all sorts of items for helping the home mapler (or whatever someone who makes maple syrup is called). And there are many on-line sources for hpow to tap trees, collect syrup etc. I was just hoping to get some personal tidbits.
Awhile back they had an article in Better Homes and Gardens mag on maple syrup, I don't know if they have archives on their web site but they might give you some info. ????
did you post anything over on the tree forum? you might find something there? if I had a sugar maple I would definitely be interested, but alas...
When I lived in NH, you could buy them in the local hardware store, not sure about your area. It is fun to make maple syrup but it's a lot of work. You'll be up late a good many nights boiling down the sap. I found it to be much cheaper to buy a gallon or so, even at today's cost. ☺
At any rate, good luck!
Red
Thought I'd update those interested in this topic. I got spiles from the Yankee Harvest web site a few days ago.Yesterday I drilled a couple of holes in the large maple at the corner of the house and installed the spiles and a container to collect the sap. I have never done anything like this before and so had my doubts. But as the picture shows, this afternoon I was collecting sap! I know I'll need a few gallons of sap to make even a modest amount of syrup (I read that it takes 41 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup). I'll write again when I take the next step in a few days but so far I am encouraged.
That's so cool!!!
Unfortunately, we don't have any sugar maples to tap in my back yard. Otherwise, I'd be stealing your idea!
LoraB.
escubed - I found a maple sugar farm that uses reverse osmosis in their sugar production - much cheaper than boiling! http://www.christiesmaplefarm.com/FAQs/Frequently_asked_questions/40/vobId__46/ I'm planning a field trip this weekend to see maple sugar being made - I'm a So. Cal native and haven't ever seen the process. It is on my lifetime To Do list!
Do you only have 1 tree? I read somewhere that it takes sap from 10 trees just to make 1 gallon of syrup.
I usually buy my maple syrup from these guys:
http://www.morsefarm.com/?gclid=CJmjz6GTiYsCFQv1YAod6F2sGw
Burr Morse is a very interesting person and his family has been sugarin' for many generations. I used excerpts from his book in my social studies class not too long ago.
My great aunt used to make maple syrup but she gave up the practice because it was too much work.
When I was a kid, we used to collect maple sap in buckets over the course of a few days when it froze during the night and it melted again the next day. My mom would make a bit of maple syrup. We always looked forward to that. Those used to be simpler days.
I haven't checked this out anywhere but memory tells me it takes 50 gallons of sap to produce 1 gallon of maple syrup. It is an easy process: boil the sap until it is mostly evaporated and the syrup is the consistency you want. Some like it runny, others like it thick as molasses. My mom liked to boil part of it really long. It turned into taffy. We would eat it with a popsicle stick, freshly spread on new-fallen snow. Ah, memories.
Sylvain.
We use to make maple syrup, just tapped a few trees. We would boil it outdoors in a little sugar shack. One night my son was so tired and we were half way done so I had the great idea of finishing it on the stove so he could go to sleep. Well needless to say all the steam made the wallpaper peel in our dining room. Good luck is a fun thing to do.
Update: I drilled two holes and only one of them has produced any sap. So far I have perhaps a cup of sap which should be good for a teaspoon of syrup :-) Only one of the spiles seems to be producing but I have time and a bottle of syrup that I bought last year in case of "crop failure." Getting anything at all has been a blast.
Did my Maple Sugaring tour at Lamothe's Sugar House today in Burlington, CT. It takes them on the average 43 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of maple syrup. Maple syrup is 67% sugar and the rest is water. Sap from a sugar maple is 2% sugar. Other kinds of trees have sap at only 1% sugar. More than you wanted to know - I'm sure. Here is a picture of the syrup boiler there.
try Richards Maple Products in Chardon, OH. I think I paid $1.50 for each tap.
We tapped some trees in our yard just for fun this year and had a blast. I fast simmered it in a pan on the stove to remove more water, then poured it into a crock pot set on high to continue cooking to the taste we like. Northern Ohio has many many maple sugar makers - or as you said -whatever you call it.
I was told by a professional that it takes 10 gallons of sap to make a quart of syrup. The best time to tap is when the nights are 32 or below, and the daytime is above 40 degrees. You can literally see the sap start to run as the sun hits the tree in the morning. When the nights are warm, then the sap is about done rising and it will begin to alter in flavor, getting more bitter the later in the season. You want to tap a tree at least 12" in circumference and you want to place your taps about 10" apart. Next year, your tap should be placed 6" up and 6" over from last years hole. Younger trees are sweeter than old trees.
I used a 5/16" drill bit on an electric drill - took moments to drill 1.5" in, then you push your tap in and set it with a firm knock from a hammer or rock. We just used 2 liter pop bottles and emptied them twice a day. This year it was a late experiment, next year we will probably put a few more taps in and look for something to cook on outside over a fire. There is a kit you can buy for $10 or $20 to alter a 50 gallon drum that allows you to set a door in the end of the drum, and then set a big rectangular stainless steel restaurant pan into a hole cut in the side - you lay the drum on its side on legs, set over a fire and boil your sap with a fire built inside the drum. For me - storing the ugly drum might present a problem so don't know what we will do.
I was told by someone that they tried boiling a large amount of sap in the house on a high heat that caused a rolling boil - and a lot of sugar evaporated along with the steam, and condensed all over the walls of the kitchen, making a huge sticky mess. So I went low heat and slowly and had no problem.
When you store your syrup, if you haven't achieved 270 degrees, you won't get a seal on your lid, so you need to store it in the refrigerator or it will mold. You more or less have to can it, so if you make enough and have a canner, you can just use mason jars. Or you can buy the jugs they sell for maple syrup. Those lids have a wax seal, and again, if your syrup is 270 degrees, you fill the jug and turn it upside down and the heat will seal the lid.
I froze some sap that I didn't have time to finish. The professional I talked to said he thought it would work because they do find frozen sap in the buckets. What happens is the water freezes and the sugar does not - freezes at a much lower temp, so you can theoretically remove a lot of water by freezing - don't know yet how that will work in the containers I used.
My whole family enjoyed making our own syrup even tho we didn't get very much on our first try this year.
It tastes great!