During the month of March it is not uncommon for Minnesotans to see maple trees laden with bags or buckets to collect the sap that runs out of them. Many people take part in the creation of maple syrup nowadays, but the craft has been around since before the Europeans arrived in North America; this was a craft of indigenous Americans.
Native Americans and maple syrup:
When the temperatures began to rise above freezing during the day, Native Americans would cut into the trunks of the maple trees and collect the sap in clay pots. Once the sap was collected, they began the tedious process of cooking the sap into syrup by placing hot rocks into the pots. The rocks would have to be replaced with the next scalding rock every once in a while to keep the sap cooking. The maple syrup was used to cure meats and sweeteners for bitter-tasting medicines. Maple sugar is also used for nutrition because it contains minerals like phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, iron, and calcium. Modern-day syrup-making techniques have evolved in many ways, becoming large-scale productions, or simply a springtime hobby within a family like mine. My dad tapped out maple trees for the first time in the spring of 2020. Since then, our family has loved homemade maple syrup more than any other syrup. I don’t think we have bought syrup from a store in probably five years.
Why maple trees create sap:
Over the winter maple trees store starch in their roots and trunks. Once the leaves start to bud out, the starch is turned into sugar. The trees absorb water from the ground to help carry the sugar to the branches of the tree. This allows for sap to be collected. When spring temperatures start to fluctuate between a freezing and thawing pattern, maple trees build up pressure causing the sap to run out of the taps placed in the tree. The sap runs out of the tap and into either bags or buckets. The three trees in our yard combined have averaged 5-7 gallons of sap each day this season. We also have trees tapped at our lake cabin, but they have been producing much less.
Once enough sap is collected, we start the lengthy boiling process. Maple sap only contains 1.5% – 3.5% sugar, the rest is water. The process of boiling removes the water out of the sap, leaving behind a denser sugary liquid. The sap must be boiled until it reaches 219 (7 degrees above water boiling temperature), then we draw it off the pan, strain it, and check the density of the syrup to see if it is really done. This is done with the help of a hydrometer. A hydrometer is able to determine the exact sugar content of the syrup by measuring the density of the liquid. The sugar percentage in the liquid is measured in degrees Brix (one degree Brix is equal to 1% sugar content). The average density for maple syrup is 66.9 Brix. The higher the density, the higher the sugar content. Once the syrup is at the desired density, we put it into canning jars to store.
This year my dad bought a new contraption for boiling maple syrup. The boiling pan includes three sections in it. There are slots that the denser liquid can flow through until it gets to the third section. So ideally, the third section has the closest to done syrup. It also has a warming section above the main pan. This warming pan allows for sap to be warmed up before it is added to the main pan. Putting cold sap into the already boiling sap stops the boil, ultimately slowing down the boiling process. Beneath the boiling pan is a wood stove with insulation and bricks to keep the heat focused on the pan above. It does a great job at keeping the sap at a rolling boil.
For the 2025 season, we have so far boiled sap twice. Both times being at least a 12 hour day. The first boil produced 11 pints. Some people have sugar shacks that they can boil all day, no matter the weather. Unfortunately, our syrup got caught in the rain last Friday. We were rushing to get the boiling hot syrup out of the large pan, strained, and inside the house before too much water got into it. We were all drenched in water and shivering, but we did save the syrup.
The color of sap between the two boils we have done has drastically changed. Maple syrup changes colors throughout the season as weather changes, as well as the microbial composition of the sap. The lighter-colored syrup is produced earlier on in the season when the weather is generally cooler. The color of the sap becomes darker as the season goes on and temperatures become warmer.
Making our own homemade syrup has become a tasty tradition for our whole family.We all enjoy watching and helping with the process, and of course we all love the delicious syrup on our pancakes!
