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Making Maple Syrup
By:
Ken Asselin
Making Maple Syrup
Making maple syrup is an easy, fun, and rewarding activity for the
entire family. All you need are a few maple trees, some basic simple
equipment, and the willingness to put in a little effort making
maple syrup for yourself. Making maple syrup is as simple as
collecting maple sap and boiling it into syrup. The process of
making maple syrup is an age-old tradition of the North American
Indians, who used it both as a food and as a medicine. Not much has
changed since the American Indian first discovered how to tap maple
trees and get its sweet sap.
The process of making
maple syrup is the same today as it was then. You boil the sap to
remove the water and get maple syrup. Late winter and early spring
is when the maple trees are tapped. The sap is then collected and
boiled down to make maple syrup. Making maple syrup is a slow labor
intensive process that requires evaporating about 40 gallons of sap
in order to produce 1 gallon of syrup.
The secret to making maple
syrup is heat, lots and lots of heat. The groves of maple trees that
cover the Northeastern United States and Canada are referred to as
the sugarbush, and the process of making maple syrup is known as
sugaring. Making maple syrup is one of Agriculture's oldest natural
commodities
Equipment
You can make maple syrup with very little equipment, and you may
already have many of these items. Most of the equipment can be
purchased at your local store, and the items that are unique to
making maple syrup such as spiles, (spouts) hydrometers, and
finishing filters can be found at maple syrup equipment suppliers,
or even online.
1. A drill (portable) with a
7/16 inch drill bit.
2. Spiles (spouts). One for each hole.
3. One container per tap hole to catch the sap. You can use any
wooden, metal, or plastic bucket. Containers can be made from
plastic milk jugs as well. Cut a hole large enough so that it can be
slipped over the spile at the top of one side of the jug.
4. Large plastic or metal trash can to store the collected sap in.
5. A large deep wash tub or metal pan that will hold at least five
gallons of sap to be used as an evaporator pan for boiling the sap.
6. An outdoor fire pit made of brick or cinder block that your
boiling pan will fit on. A wood stove set up out of doors is also
suitable. Do not boil maple sap in your kitchen.
7. Dry, fast-burning wood is needed to provide the heat necessary
for boiling.
8. A candy thermometer for testing to see when the syrup is done.
9. Felt, flannel, or wool filter to filter the maple syrup while
hot. Filters and special straining containers can be purchased from
maple syrup equipment suppliers. A double layer of flannel can be
used.
10. Clean glass jars that can be sealed tight to store the finished
maple syrup. Canning jars are ideal.
11. Hydrometer (optional) which will tell you when the syrup is
done. Maple syrup should weigh at least 11 pounds per gallon.
Making Maple Syrup
1. Not all maple trees are good for making maple syrup. Your trees
need to be hard maple to be a good sugar maple tree. Do not use soft
maple trees. A tree needs to be at least 10" in diameter measuring 4
1/2 feet above the ground. For trees between 10" and 20" you should
only put 1 tap per tree. Trees between 20" and 30" can sustain 2
taps, and trees over 30" can support 3 taps per tree. Trees with
large crowns (a lot of branches) usually are the best producers.
2. The hole should be drilled at a convenient height and needs to be
7/16" in diameter and 3" deep. Look for unblemished bark and do not
drill holes closer that 2 feet under or over old holes.
3. The spile (spout) should be driven in tight enough so it cannot
be pulled out by hand, but be careful not hard enough to split the
tree.
4. Hang your bucket or container on the hook of the spout if it is a
purchased one: or, if you have made your own, fashion a length of
wire to serve as a hanger. Be sure to cover the bucket to keep out
rain, snow and foreign material.
5. Hook your bucket on the spile. If the spile does not have a hook
on it you can use a piece of wire to secure the bucket to the spile.
Cover the bucket to keep out foreign materials. It is a general
rule-of-thumb that each tap will yield 10 gallons of sap throughout
an approximate six week season, producing 1 quart of maple syrup.
6. As the sap fills your buckets it should be collected and placed
in your collection container until you have enough to start boiling.
Fill your boiling pan about 2/3 full to prevent boiling over, and
start your fire. Rubbing vegetable oil on the top rim of the boiling
pan can help prevent boiling over. Keep adding more sap to the
boiling pan as the water boils out, and never let the level of sap
in the boiling pan drop below 2 inches, or it may burn down. It
takes a lot of boiling time to make maple syrup, so keep your fire
going, and never leave it unattended.
7. Clean your collection buckets after each use, because left over
sap will sour if left in the buckets. Boil the collected sap as soon
as possible, but if you need to store some it must me stored as cold
as possible.
8. Your candy thermometer will tell you when your maple syrup is
finished. It becomes maple syrup when its temperature reaches 7
degrees F. above the temperature of boiling water, which will give
you about a 67 to 69 percent sugar content.. Water boils at
different temperatures according to your elevation, so you need to
determine what temperature water will boil at your elevation.
Hydrometers are another way of testing your maple syrup. Maple syrup
with the proper 67% sugar content will weigh 11 pounds per gallon.
Crystals may form on the bottom of your container if your syrup
weighs more than 11 !/4 pounds per gallon.
9. Now its time to pour the hot syrup through a filter before you
pack it in containers. You can use a felt, flannel, or wool filter,
or purchase a special strainer at your equipment supplier. Another
method is to pour the syrup in another container and let it cool for
12 hours. Sediment will settle to the bottom and you can carefully
pour the clear syrup off the top. You will need to reheat this syrup
to at least 180 degrees F. before packing it in individual
containers.
10. Maple syrup needs to be packed hot (180 degrees F.). Sterilize
all jars, cans or jugs before pouring the hot syrup into them. Fill
to the top allowing very little air in, and lay on their sides to
attain a better seal.
11.Store your maple syrup in a cool place or put it in your freezer.
It should be stored in the refrigerator once opened.
12.Clean your equipment with hot water and a mild chlorine solution.
Do not use soap or detergents as they can leave a residue that can
contaminate the flavor of your next batch of syrup.
Ken Asselin is webmaster for
the Selections Guide series of Information and Shopping websites.
You can visit his Michigan Maple Syrup Site at:
www.michiganmaplesyrup.net
Making Maple Syrup
Article Source: http://articleselections.com
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