Gimme Some Sugar..

The snow is melting and the sap is a'flowing.

The spring peepers will be out in 2 two weeks - BUT there is another sign of spring and it is the tapping of the maple trees...

In order for the trees to be tapped they have to go through a hard freeze. There was no problem this year for that to happen and the weather has cooperated staying  in the 40's,  The sap will flow between 3 and 4 weeks as long as the daytime temps are above freezing and the evenings are below freezing. The sap surprisingly looks like water. I assumed it would be yellowish like pine sap. 

When we were beginning our walk in lower Chaseburg the other day we noticed all these tapped trees and saw the sap being collected by 2 folks on an ATV as they poured the day's sap into a large plastic containers on the back of their vehicle .

Every day the buckets's contents are collected. I read somewhere that a tree is not supposed to have more that 3 taps.

The harvested sap has to be boiled down within a week to make the Maple syrup we know to put on our hot cakes. Some people cook it on an open pit, an outdoor grill, an indoor wood stove in long shallow pans or even in a fryer . While it's cooking down a lot of steam is produced.

It is a long arduous procedure. It will take 40-50 gallons to be boiled down to make one gallon of maple syrup. No wonder real maple syrup's  cost is so exorbitant.

Have you noticed that there are different colors of Maple Syrup?

Here's what I discovered.

Fancy Grade:  This syrup is the lightest in color with a mild delicate flavor. It is usually produced first in the spring when the temperatures are the coldest.


 Grade A Medium Amber: This is a great all purpose syrup and is generally the most popular. The flavor is slightly stronger than Fancy and the color a warm golden hue.

 Grade A Dark Amber: This syrup is darker than medium amber and has a full-bodied maple flavor. This can be used for cooking and to sweeten foods naturally.  Many enjoy this grade for a stronger maple flavor on pancakes, waffles, and ice cream.


We actually buy our syrup from the Amish up on the ridge. I will admit it doesn't taste at all like Aunt Jemima's and I am finally acquiring the taste of the 'REAL' stuff.  It's just another wonderful benefit of living out here in the End of the Rainbow Valley...