From Sap to Syrup

March heralds the beginning of mud season here in New England, but it is also maple sugaring season. In late February and early March, when the nights are still below freezing and the days are warm(ish), the sugar maples are slowly coming to life.

Today we went to the Ipswich River wildlife sanctuary where the whole process -- from sap to syrup -- is done the old-fashioned way. Sugar maple trees are tapped, and the sap is collected daily in large covered pails. Sap is clear and mostly tasteless when it comes from the tree; it is about 99% water and 1% sugar.

The sap is then taken to a sugar shack where is is boiled down in an evaporator. For every 40 gallons of sap boiled down, one gallon of maple syrup is produced. The smell of the wood-burning stove mixed with the steam from the boiling sap is heavenly. On a cold day, the sugar shack is definitely the place to be.

After the syrup is made, it is graded against syrup samples like those pictured here. Early season syrup is lighter. The mid-season (now) is darker and tastier. My daughter's favorite part was, of course, the syrup sampling. A close second favorite part of today was walking through all the mud.


More info on maple syrup history and production here.