Please log in with your username or email clear syrup continue. By using our site, you agree to our cookie policy. How is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
How’s Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. There are 8 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. How marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article has been viewed 253,418 times. Sugaring, the art of making maple syrup, has been practiced for thousands of years. Many report that once you’ve done it once, you’ll want to do it again and again. Read on to learn how to turn maple tree sap into sweet, delicious syrup.
Make sure your trees are ready to be tapped. This causes the sap to start flowing in trees. The maple season is over when this temperature pattern ends. At this time the color of the sap will become darker.
If sap is collected after the season is over it will be low in sugar content and have an undesirable taste. There are many different types of Maple trees. The Sugar Maple has the highest sugar content. The maple tree has a distinct five point leaf. Typically, a tree should be at least 10 inches in diameter before it is tapped. These are also known as spiles. Online is the easiest place to buy taps.
Most taps are the same, but the collection containers differ quite a bit. If you don’t feel like buying a bucket, a clean milk jug will work fine. Drill a hole on the side of the tree that receives the most light, above a large root or under a large branch. The hole should be the size of your tap. The hole should be at a slight downward angle. An electric hand drill works well for this task.
It is best to cover containers to keep out rainwater and bugs. 40 gallons of sap makes just one gallon of syrup, which is why store-bought maple syrup is so expensive. 10 gallons from each tree per season, so you’ll end up with a few gallons of maple syrup. Over the course of a few weeks, check the collecting containers every few days. Transfer the sap to sealed buckets or other large containers for storage. Keep collecting sap until the season has ended.
Now you’re ready to turn the sap into syrup. If you have a smaller amount of sap, this is easiest done with a coffee filter. This is only to remove any sediment, bugs, or twigs from the sap. You could also reach in and remove large pieces of debris with a slotted spoon. The sap will be filtered again later, after it’s boiled. Build a fire to boil the sap.