Maple syrup: An easier way

Many years ago, when I was a young boy, my dad decided to tap some maple trees. We drilled holes in the trees and hung pails, which collected the sap. Once the pails were filled, we carried the sap to milk cans, which were then taken to my mother’s kitchen. Any instrument or kitchen pot that was available was used to boil the sap. One of my jobs was wiping the water droplets off the ceiling in the kitchen. It was not a very successful operation, but my dad did learn something: Never boil sap in the house again!

This past Saturday, when our temperature hit 70 degrees, I stopped at our neighbor Craig’s to get a syrup bottle refilled. Along with the syrup, I ended up learning how to produce maple syrup in a more economical and practical manner. To begin, Craig’s maple trees are located in a hollow facing north and east of his farm, and his sugar shack is located at the bottom of the hollow. His trees are connected with airtight plastic lines so a little vacuum can be applied to draw sap out of trees and into the sugar shack. Two lines are required to provide vacuum to all lines in case one line is full of sap. Jacqui’s boys help Craig repair or replace these lines each year after varmints or Mother Nature damage them. On that warm Friday and Saturday, Craig had his all-time high flow of sap, due greatly to his vacuum system. Even though the temperature did not fall below freezing the previous night, the vacuum system helped keep the sap running.

Once this sap hits and fills a base tank, it is pumped to large storage tanks prior to removing the water. A reverse osmosis machine removes about 80% of the water the first time during the first go through. Reverse osmosis is used again a second time and removes another 50% of the remaining water. This increases the percentage of sugar in the sap to 20% to 25%. It is then put into a constant flow evaporator, where it is boiled down to the final specific gravity needed for his customers. This pan is heated with a wood fire that requires new blocks being added every 10 minutes.

There are some tricks utilized. A surfactant is added to the sap to keep it from boiling over. Organic oleic safflower oil is used because it seems to work the best without creating an off flavor in the syrup. Once the proper sugar content is obtained, then the syrup is filtered to remove any other impurities. Diatomaceous earth is added as a filter aid to keep the syrup from plugging the filters, which will happen if two little or too much is added to the syrup at this point. From the filter, the syrup is then stored in 40-gallon stainless steel drums. The syrup will be heated again to be repackaged into smaller bottles for grocery stores and into gallon jugs for food service facilities.

In one hour, Craig will process 1,300 gallons of sap to make 30 gallons of maple syrup. The ratio is approximately 40:1. The vacuum system improves the yield, and the reverse osmosis system cuts time spent in the evaporator. Meticulous cleanings keep the quality of the syrup high. Once the syrup is produced, it can be converted to other products by heating it to specific temperatures to make maple cream, maple candies or maple sugar. Whatever the form, these maple treats all taste incredible.