Right now is the perfect time to tap your maple trees for syrup. Why? Because when the temperatures in the day time are warm enough (40 degrees or so) and the night time is cold enough (30 degrees or so), that is the best time for the syrup run. The syrup runs up from the roots of the trees to the limbs during this time period. The syrup will be the clearest and sweetest during this time. It is said after the leaf buds come out then the syrup is more cloudy and bitter. Syrup is graded on flavor and color.
Maple syrup is a much better alternative to white sugar and is actually healthy! I call it “tree blood” and tree blood has nutrients like iron, zinc, manganese, potassium and even calcium. Maple syrup also has at least 24 antioxidants that destroy free radicals that attack our bodies.
However maple syrup does have a very high sugar content and loads of carbohydrates, so go easy when using it!
Native Americans used maple syrup on meat dishes and fish dishes. Since maple syrup could be preserved for a very long time they would also have a stable food source if times were tough.
If you’re not sure if you have maple trees on your property you can always contact the forest department or Orange County Extension with some photos to see if you have sugar maple trees. Sugar maple trees are the best for tapping maple syrup. There are also classes you can take to learn how to tap your trees. It is not difficult to do and it is not expensive either.
Most people try a few trees out first when starting to learn how to tap. They simply just hang metal buckets from a single tap in the tree. This gives your backyard a nostalgic “old time” look with the snow still on the ground and the old fashion buckets hanging from the trees. The bucket method is a good way to start off and see if you want to pursue more trees with more taps. Some people and professionals have very elaborate systems to tap trees with hundreds of feet of hoses and storage tanks all around their properties.
Maybe the hardest thing about making maple syrup is the cooking down part. This can be a bit tricky as you need a place with enough heat to boil down the syrup and get the water out of it. Some folks use a turkey fryer, but I heard that is a bit hard and could be dangerous. Some people just use deep pans over outdoor wood stoves or outside fire pits.
Whatever you use make sure your outside, as being inside, on a stove say, can be rather tedious and long process, plus a steamy one at best! Make sure to also have a “Brix Hydrometer,” so you can see when the water has been fully cooked off. The fun part is you can “taste test” to decide for yourself if it tastes like delicious maple syrup. After your first few times of making your own tasty syrup you will be hooked and for sure will want to continue! It’s just so yummy!!
Here are a couple of links to learn more about maple syrup:
Field & Stream:
https://www.fieldandstream.com/outdoors/how-to-make-maple-syrup/
New York Maple Syrup Guide:
https://www.nymetroparents.com/article/where-to-maple-sugaring
Cornell Maple Program:
https://blogs.cornell.edu/cornellmaple/
History of Maple Syrup:
**Native American photo is from the Congressional Archives 1906**
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