Friends
of Brooksvale Park, Inc.
|
|
|
|
Dear Friend, The process of making Pure Maple Syrup is much
the same today as it was hundreds of years ago. Sap is obtained from a group of maple trees
and the water removed until the proper density is reached.
This is a simplified depiction, but much of the process lends
its roots to the Native Americans and the early pioneers. The traditional maple sugaring season in Connecticut extends from early February until late March, depending greatly on the weather. Freezing nights and warm, sunny days are necessary for the maple tree to yield sap, a colorless liquid with a light, sweet taste. It is when the sugarmaker anticipates these weather conditions that he/she will make his/her determination to “tap” the trees. The most common trees the sugarmaker selects are
the sugar maple, Acer saccharum, and the black maple, Acer
nigrum. These trees
grow in the eastern Sweet Note: A maple tree may be 30-40 years old before reaching this appropriate size. There are two basic methods used to “tap” the tree. The classic bucket and spout method and the pipeline or tubing method. The procedure with the bucket and spout method is; a small shallow hole approx. 1 1/2" deep is drilled into the tree with most often a 7/16" drill bit. A spile or spout is “tapped” into the hole, a bucket is placed on a hook, and a cover is attached to keep out debris. The procedure with the pipeline or tubing method is a small shallow hole is drilled into the tree and a spout attached directly to the tubing is “tapped” into the freshly drilled hole. A web of tubing and pipeline must run downhill, straight, and tight for the sap to effectively flow to a holding tank at the end of the tubing pipelines. Larger syrup producers may choose to apply vacuum to the tubing. With the implementation of vacuum a sugarmaker may notice an increase in sap yield. The vacuum stimulates sap flow from the tree and through the tubing. Sweet Note: It takes between 40-45 gallons of maple sap to make one gallon of pure maple syrup. Once the trees are “tapped”, it is up to the weather as to when the sap will flow. Freezing nights and warm, sunny days are necessary for the maple tree to yield sap. During the day the sugarmaker may check to see if the weather has been favorable for the trees to bear their sap. It is when the buckets and sap tanks contain sap that it is time to collect the sap from every bucket and tank, and transport it back to the sugarhouse. The task of collecting sap can have its challenges. It can be difficult to collect sap in a fresh snowfall or when the melting snow turns the ground to mud. Cold temperatures freeze pumps, valves, hoses, and couplings within seconds of use. To limit these obstacles some sugarhouses are built at the foot of the sugarbush so the tubing can bring the sap from the tree directly into the sugarhouse. Once the sap is at the sugarhouse, the sugarmaker
must quickly start the process of removing the water from the
perishable sap. Larger
producers utilize high pressure filtration to remove a
large percentage of water from the sap with a process called
reverse osmosis.
This process saves the sugarmaker both time and energy, but
boiling is still required to make maple syrup.
The boiling usually takes place in a commercially produced
evaporator pan or evaporator that is made specifically for the
production of maple syrup. The
evaporator rests on top of a firebox called an arch.
Many arches are “wood fired” but there are arches
that use oil, natural gas, propane, and even wood chips.
If necessary the
sugarmaker will keep a hot fire burning late into the night, and in
some cases around the clock to boil the sap until it is
gone. No matter what is
used, the process is the same. Evaporate
the water until the boiling point of the sap climbs to 7 ˝ °
F above the temperature at which water boils.
The exact specific gravity may be measured with several
devices, but to ensure proper density a combination of a thermometer
and hydrometer are most often used.
When the sap has become syrup, it is “drawn-off” the
evaporator. Often
producers choose to finish their syrup on a much smaller pan called a
finishing pan. In addition
to proper density, the syrup must be filtered, and the color graded before
packaging. Maple syrup
color grades are; “Grade A Light Amber or Fancy” , “Grade A
Medium Amber”, “Grade A Dark Amber”, and “Grade B” which is
usually called cooking syrup. This routine will take place until the nightly freeze no longer happens and the sap refuses to flow. It is then time for the sugarmaker to clean and store his equipment until the next sugaring season. Glossary of Terms Arch – Firebox that the evaporator pan is placed on. Traditional evaporators are “wood fired” but there are arches that use oil, natural gas, propane, and even wood chips. Traditionally most arches have been lined with brick, but alternate materials such as ceramic lining or vermiculite are being used in many cases. Finishing Pan – A small evaporator pan, usually gas fired, that is used for
the final finishing of sap into maple syrup. Hydrometer – A graduated instrument used in conjunction with a thermometer to check the specific gravity of a liquid. Maple Syrup – The liquid food derived by concentration and heat treatment of the sap of the maple tree (Acer) to which nothing has been added at anytime before, during or after it is made into the finished product. The density of finished maple syrup should measure between 66% to 67% (sixty-six to sixty-seven) by weight (brix) at 68° F. Niter – Sugarsand – The mineral deposits that are concentrated during the evaporation process. Reverse Osmosis – Or hyper-filtration is the process of filtering maple sap at high pressure through a semi-permeable filter membrane that traps the concentrated sap on one side and allows the permeate (water) to flow out the other side. The use of reverse osmosis allows approximately 75 to 80 percent of the water to be removed from the sap before being introduced into the evaporator, saving energy and time. Sap - A colorless liquid with a light, sweet taste that flows inside the maple tree. It is from this sap that maple syrup is produced. It takes approximately 30-40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup. Sap Run - The amount of sap collected in one day. Spigot – See Spile Spile – A small tube tapped into a taphole to carry the sap from the tree to a bucket or hooked directly into the sap tubing. Also known as a spout or spigot. Spout – See Spile Sugarbush – A group of maple trees used for the production of Maple Syrup. Sugarhouse – Building used to house the equipment used in maple syrup production. Traditionally this building houses an evaporator and has a cupola to allow the evaporating water vapor to escape. Sugarmaker – Person who makes maple syrup. Sugar Maple – A maple tree that grows in the eastern United States and around the Canadian Great Lakes whose sap is used to make maple syrup. (Maple syrup can be made from the sap of many different species of native maple trees, but the most common are the sugar maple, Acer saccharum, and the black maple, Acer nigrum.) Tap - The process of drilling into the tree and attaching a method of sap collection. Taphole – Hole drilled into the tree to
facilitate sap collection. Kirsten's 2008 Sugarin' Diary HEREKid's Artwork HERE |
|
Friends
of Brooksvale Park, Inc. ~ 524 Brooksvale Avenue
- Hamden, CT 06518 ~ 203-287-2669 ~
Copyright 2004-2008 Email FOB |
