In this part of the world, this is winter's food. It bridges the gap between winter and Spring. The sweet water which comes from maples makes one of the most iconic Canadian foods--maple syrup.
When it is late winter, and the temperatures crawl above freezing during the day, and ideally fall below freezing overnight; it is time to clean your equipment and tap some maple trees. Select healthy maple trees at least 12" (30cm) in diameter to tap. It is best to tap the tree on the South facing side, preferably above a large root, or below a large branch. This year I tapped a large tree on both the North and South sides (see table for taps and tree size), and the South side nearly always produced twice as much sap as the North facing side.
Drill the hole according to your spile diameter (mine are 7/16") at a slight upward angle about 2" deep. Gently tap the spile in with a hammer until it is firmly in place, but not so deep the wood splits. Hang your bucket on the spile hook and cover it with a lid to help keep rain, insects and debris out of your sap. If it is warm enough that the sap is running, it will be immediately obvious. Either way, wait for the sap to collect in your buckets.
I tapped 5 trees this year, with a total of 6 taps. Out of curiousity, and to keep track of which trees are best to tap, I checked the sugar content of the sap using a refractometer and found that 4 of my trees have sap sugar content of 2.9%, while the fifth has a sap sugar content of 2.2%. Since maple syrup has a sugar content of at least 66.7%, the more sap I could collect from the higher sugar trees the better. It may not seem like much, but it makes a difference in how much boiling needs to occur.
If you see ice at anytime in the sap collection process, it is best to discard it. The freezing temperatures will actually concentrate the sugar into the remaining liquid, which means that throwing the ice away saves having to evaporate it off later. I poured the sap through a strainer, into a funnel, sitting atop a 19L water jug. Depending on the temperature and size of your pails, you will need to check your trees at least once, but often 2-3 times a day for the few weeks that the sap runs.
Fresh sap doesn't store very well, but it can be refridgerated for a few days in a mound of snow without much harm, and if any ice forms while it's sitting there, it'll be less boiling later. When you have enough sap to boil it down, for reference that 19L jug yielded a little more than 500mL of syrup, pour it into the large pot and set it over the heat source, check on it periodically. It takes a long time to become syrup. I suggest boiling it down outside, and maybe finishing it inside if you're nervous about scorching it.
The syrup is technically done when it reaches 7℉ above boiling point, for me, that is 219℉. At this point, I filter it through a package of cheesecloth folded in half into a pre-warmed heat-proof pitcher, and pull the jars, rings, and lids out of the 225℉ oven they've been waiting in for at least 20 minutes. Then I pour the syrup into the jars, seal it, and turn it upside down for a few minutes. Just before the last jar, I make sure the syrup is still far above the recommended 185℉ as the lowest hot packing temperature. I then stick the jars back in the (now 195℉ oven so the syrup doesn't darken) for 5 minutes. Information about hotpacking maple syrup is readily available from universities with a quick look on google.
If you are wondering how much syrup you will get, my six taps yielded about 4.5L of syrup over the two week season, your trees will be different, and depending on the year, the season will be longer or shorter.
When the season is finished, it is time to pull the spiles out of the trees. It's easiest to do with a gentle side to side motion while pulling with pliers. Wash your equipment and pack it up for next year.
| Diameter | Taps |
|---|---|
| 12" (30cm) | 1 |
| 21" (53cm) | 2 |
| 27" (68cm) | 3 |
If you are planning to tap some maple trees, birch trees, or one of the other tappable kinds of trees, don't rush to the store and buy all new equipment. You can often find it lightly used on the web.