It should be filtered while hot with felt or paper- a coffee filter will work fine. Once you have syrup, you should filter it.
This occurs when the sap temperature is 7.1 degrees above the boiling point, which is slightly over 219 degrees F at sea level. The sap becomes syrup when the sugar content reached 66%. Wood is the most cost-effective fuel to use when boiling, though a wide variety of fuels can be used. More serious operations use large evaporators, but backyard growers can use kitchen pots. Sap can be boiled down in a wide variety of ways. Sap should be processed as soon as possible after collection. Hammering too hard could damage the tree. Spouts should be pressed or lightly hammered into the tree. Holes should be drilled between 1.5 and 2.5 inches deep and be angled slightly upward, so the sap runs out towards your spout. A tree above 25 inches dbh can have 3 taps. Between 10-17 inches, you can have one tap, between 18-24 inches, you can have two taps in a tree. In the Finger Lakes, the best time to tap your trees is usually between February 10th and March 10th– keep an eye on the long-term weather forecast to determine when the best date is for you.ĭetermine how many taps you can have in a tree by its diameter at breast height, which is about 4.5 feet about the ground. If you tap your trees too early, your holes may dry out and become plugged before the sap stops running, if you tap too late you might miss some good runs. The sap will flow when the daytime temperatures are above freezing and the nighttime temperatures drop down to below freezing. You need a larger food-grade container for sap storage, a pan with high sides for boiling, a candy thermometer some sort of filter, and containers to store the syrup in. For a backyard-scale system, either a bucket or a plastic bag can work well, with the bags probably being easier to use. You then need something to collect the sap- either a bucket with a cover, a plastic sap collection bag, or plastic tubing. Be sure to purchase the correct spout size for the holes you are drilling. You also need spouts to put into the holes you drill. You need a cordless drill with a 7/16 inch drill bit, for the traditional sized spout or 5/16 if you plan to use the new smaller sized spouts. At that percentage, it takes 43 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup.Įquipment for making maple syrup can be purchased online or at many local hardware stores. Sugar maples have an average of about 2% sugar content. Why does maple syrup cost so much in the stores? Because it’s a lot of work. The buds for other species also tend to come out earlier, giving you a shorter season. Other maple species have a lower sugar content. Black maples can also be used effectively. Sugar maples are by far the best maples to use. Maple Syrup can be made from any of our local maple species. It’s also a fun activity to do on a smaller scale if you have a few maple trees in your backyard. It’s a great way for small farmers to diversify and earn some income in the winter when nothing is growing in the field. New York is the second-largest maple syrup producer in the Country, with Vermont being the largest. In another month or so, it will be time for the sap to start flowing, so set up our sap boiler and get your drills ready. In the cold of mid-January, it’s a good time to start thinking about maple syrup. Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest> Maple Syrup Production
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