Once the syrup stage is reached I filter it into a gallon jar and let it sit for about a week. Then it's filtered again. The filtering removes any remaining tree sand and any sugar crystals that have formed. Again I let it sit for a few days and then it's poured into bottles. Finally we have, as my husband calls it, liquid gold. This year we made approximately 8 litres or about 9 quarts. Not bad for a backyard operation!

... And We Have Syrup

The final boil is done on the stove in the house. The candy thermometer gives me some indication of how close I am to getting syrup which is at approximately 225 F. or when it starts to foam. At this point, if not watched carefully, it can boil over very quickly. Usually I turn down the heat and let it boil for a few minutes longer just to intensify the colour and therefore the maple flavour. Then I let it sit to cool off a bit before filtering into another container where it's left to sit for a few days. This allows any sediment to settle on the bottom and makes the final filtering quicker.

Sap to Syrup

Fine dust and dirt tends to rise to the top and create a foam which needs to be skimmed off the boiling sap periodically. Then at the end of the day the "almost syrup" gets strained again as it's poured into a large stock pot. Usually 2 days worth of boiled-off sap goes into the pot. Then it goes on to the kitchen stove to be finished off.

The Next Step

Using 2 roasting pans we've started the evaporation process. The next photo represents the amount of firewood used in 1 day.

On a typical day I have a good fire going by 9:00 am and continue adding

sap till about 4:00 pm. The fire needs to be stoked up every half hour or so. Then I let it "cook" for another hour or so before pouring it into a stockpot.

More Maple Syrup

The sap is crystal clear and icy cold. It has no taste or smell - not even a hint of sweetness. Collecting is done every 4 to 6 hours if conditions are good. It should stop running overnight if it's not too warm, otherwise chances are good the pails will be overflowing in the morning.

The sap is then poured through a sieve, lined with paper towels, to get rid of any debris, bark, etc.

Maple Syrup Story Continued

If conditions are ideal the sap runs. Perfect conditions are a few degrees below freezing at night and during the day sunny with temperatures a few degrees above freezing.

The sap usually drips one drop at a time as we rarely get "perfect" weather.

We were lucky this year and had a day or two where the sap was literally running, as seen here.

A Maple Syrup Story in Pictures

First the trees have to be tapped. We have 5 taps in 3 trees. The clear tubing, which we added this year, eliminates the wind problem. Otherwise the wind catches the dripping sap and blows it away from the pail.