February 1st often marks the start of Maple Sugaring in the lower Midwest. Maple sugaring is the process of collecting Maple tree sap and boiling it down to produce pure (and real) Maple syrup. If you’ve ever wondered why real Maple syrup costs so much, it’s because the process is energy intensive. Fortunately, nature does most of the work.
How to Make Maple Syrup
- Find a tree that’s at least 18 inches in diameter. (So nature has already been at work for 30 years).
- Drill a 3/8” hole about 2.5 inches deep. The hole should aim up slightly (to allow sap to flow down).
- Carefully tap the tap into the tree.
- Hang a bucket on the tap.
- Collect the sap. It contains as much as 2% sugar.
- Build a fire. Boil the sap until it reaches 119 degrees (this indicates ~65% sugar).
- Once the sap is boiled down to syrup, strain it and put it in a glass jar. It will keep all year if refrigerated. Of course, on fresh blue berry pancakes, it disappears quickly.
I started making syrup a few days ago. Some new technology would improve the process. I’d like to add a Maple Sap-level detection network (MAPSAP-Net). Since the sap flow rate varies by day (temperature/sunlight etc), it would be useful to have the trees tell me when the buckets are full. Some days the buckets only collect a cup of sap; some days each tap can produce 3 gallons… I’d also add a wood stove temperature sensor to alert me when more wood is needed. On the other hand, sometimes technology just adds more complexity than necessary...
