F R O M T H E W O O D S

Maple Syrup A Taste of Nature

College of Agricultural Sciences • Cooperative Extension

A N E D U C A T I O N A L S E R I E S A B O U T F O R E S T R Y F O R Y O U T H

here are many bark. They boiled it by filling different kinds a hollowed-out log with sap, of trees in Penn- then putting hot rocks into it. sylvania’s forests, The American Indians did not butT the sweetest tree in Penn- have a way to store the sticky sylvania is the sugar maple. liquid maple syrup very well, The sap from this tree is used so they boiled the syrup to make pure maple syrup. a little longer to make maple

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Sugar maples grow best in these areas of Pennsylvania.

Sugar maple trees are unique sugar. They used maple sugar to North America and grow to sweeten their food and naturally only in the north- added it to cold water for a eastern United States and sweet summer drink. Students get a first- southeastern Canada. This When the first Europeans hand look at dripping makes maple syrup a very came to North America, the sap from a tapped sugar special product we get from maple tree. American Indians taught them Pennsylvania forests. about making maple syrup. As time passed, the method maple sugaring maple syrup season. Gener- How it started of making maple syrup im- proved, but the basic process BASICS ally, the maple season lasts American Indians first dis- remained the same. The an- In early spring each year, from mid-February to early covered how to make maple nual tradition of making ma- maple producers, also called April. Maple producers drill syrup many years ago. ple syrup has been a part of “sugarmakers,” throughout a small hole into the trunk They collected the sap in Pennsylvania’s history for well Pennsylvania head to their of the tree. This is called containers made from birch over 200 years. woods for the start of the tapping. They insert a small

Photos 1–4 show tapping a tree (1) and using tubing to collect the dripping sap (2,3) into a storage tank (4).

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2 percent sugar, other nutri- Tree sap What does a sugar maple look like? ents, and minerals. To make pure maple syrup, the sap needs to be boiled to evapo- rate a lot of the water away. Maple syrup is 33 percent 98% Water water and 67 percent sugar.

The sap starts to “run” or flow out of the holes when 2% Sugar the weather is just right. Maple syrup Sugarmakers like cold nights (with temperatures below freezing) and warm days (with The sugar maple leaves The sugar maple temperatures above freezing) are 3” to 5” in diameter tree can grow to 100’ 67% Sugar with five lobes and tall and have a trunk so the sap will flow. Once the pointed teeth on the diameter of 2’ to 4’. sap starts collecting in the edges. buckets or flowing through 33% Water the tubing, it needs to be processed right away. spout or spile to catch the within one or two years. If the sap that begins to collect in maple trees are taken care of Sugarmakers use evapora- Sugar content of raw tree the hole. The spout may con- properly, the same tree can be tors to make maple syrup. An sap and processed maple syrup. nect to plastic pipes stretching tapped year after year. evaporator consists of two or through the woods, called tub- more large, specially designed ing, or to a bucket to Making the syrup pans that are filled with sap. fuel, which heats the sap and collect the dripping sap. Sap from the sugar maple tree These pans sit over a fire of causes it to boil. As it boils, is about 98 percent water and burning wood or some other some of the water in the sap The magic tree The sugar maple tree is the natural resource used to make maple syrup, and maple pro- ducers need to take good care of these trees. They wait until sugar maple trees are about 10 inches in diameter (20 to 40 years old) before they start tapping them. They also limit the number of taps they put in one tree according to the size of the tree, so that it will not be damaged. Tapping maple trees properly does not affect tree health. However, a small amount of wood damage does occur in the tree. The sap col- lected is only a small fraction of the total amount of sap in Sugarmakers grab wood the tree. The small hole drilled to feed the fire under an evaporator to boil sap. into the tree usually heals turns into steam, which filtered to take out “sugar syrup into maple sugar, it takes about 40 rises out of the sugarhouse. sand,” which accumulates as maple candy, maple cream, gallons of sap The sap becomes thicker the sap boils. Sugar sand is and even maple jelly. Pure to make just one just minerals and nutrients gallon of pure and sweeter. maple syrup and other that concentrate as the maple products have no ad- maple syrup! The sugarmaker has to excess water is boiled away. ditives, preservatives, or ar- watch the boiling sap very If it is not filtered out, the tificial colors. It’s all natural, carefully because it could maple syrup will appear and some people even call easily burn in the evapora- cloudy. it a “taste of nature.” tor. As the sap thickens, it gets hotter. The sugarmaker Pure maple syrup is great The final product knows that the maple syrup on pancakes, waffles, and After the maple syrup is fil- is ready when its tempera- French toast. You can also tered, it is put in a container ture reaches 7 degrees enjoy it on vanilla ice for sale, or made Fahrenheit above the cream, on steamed rice and into other tasty boiling point of water. This vegetables, or other foods. maple treats. process requires a lot of It is a pure, all-natural Many maple pro- time and energy, because product from ducers process it takes about 40 gallons of Pennsylvania’s woods. their maple 40 GALLONS SAP sap to make just one gallon ➔ of pure maple syrup!

The boiling sap is tested with precise instruments to determine if it is maple syrup. If it is thick enough 1 GALLON SYRUP to be maple syrup, it is

Prepared by Anni Davenport, former extension assistant in forest resourc- es; Sanford Smith, extension specialist in natural resources and youth edu- cation; and Roy Adams, former associate professor of wood products. Support for the printing of this document was provided by the U.S. Forest Service, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry. Visit Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences on the Web: agsci.psu.edu This publication is available from the Publications Distribution Center, The Pennsylvania State University, 112 Agricultural Administration Building, University Park, PA 16802. For informa- tion telephone 814-865-6713. Where trade names appear, no discrimination is intended, and no endorsement by Penn State Cooperative Extension is implied. This publication is available in alternative media on request. The Pennsylvania State University is committed to the policy that all persons shall have equal access to programs, facilities, admission, and employment without regard to personal char- acteristics not related to ability, performance, or qualifications as determined by University policy or by state or federal authorities. It is the policy of the University to maintain an aca- demic and work environment free of discrimination, including harassment. The Pennsylvania State University prohibits discrimination and harassment against any person because of age, ancestry, color, disability or handicap, national origin, race, religious creed, sex, sexual orien- tation, gender identity, or veteran status. Discrimination or harassment against faculty, staff, or students will not be tolerated at The Pennsylvania State University. Direct all inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policy to the Affirmative Action Director, The Pennsylvania State University, 328 Boucke Building, University Park, PA 16802-5901, Tel 814-865-4700/V, 814-863-1150/TTY. Produced by Ag Communications and Marketing © The Pennsylvania State University 2009 Code # UH130 R5M4/09nvo4255