Making Maple Syrup

Spring 2009

Boiling the sap

Once we'd collected 4 buckets of sap, we decided we had enough to try making some syrup. Also, the buds were starting to form on the trees which is a sign to stop tapping the tree. Most of the online literature strongly suggested doing the majority of the boiling down outdoors since the moisture could be damaging if done indoors. Not having an actual sugar shack, we figured we'd better do this on a sunny day. Watching sap boil isn't the most exciting thing in the world so we decided to invite the Hayeks and we made the most of our fire by also roasting spider dogs for the kids. Once it started getting dark out we moved indoors to finish the boiling on the stove. This took until just past midnight and by the end of it our kitchen felt a bit like a mapley sauna! We didn't get much, but man, it tasted sooooo good!

Samantha helped get kindling wood for the fire.

Once the sap started to boil we had to watch it continuously to keep adding more sap,
but not let it boil over.

Mommy, do we need some more wood for the fire?

Time to call in some entertainment... uncle khalil is great for truck rides around the yard.

Though boiling some maple dogs may sound tempting,
we opted to roast spider dogs instead.

It's all about looking cool while you're roasting your dogs... right Joe?

Mmmmmm, who knew our first outdoor picnic this year would coincide with maple season?

Making maple syrup is tiring.

Time to bring the show indoors... the sap is starting to look golden.

As the syrup gets darker and starts to boil harder,
it's time to bring out the candy thermometer.

At 217F it starts to really bubble and when it starts to kind of stick to the spoon as it slides off (sheeting), you know it's ready.

Pure gold.

Time to pour it into a jug and let it sit overnight in the fridge
to let any little particles settle at the bottom.

The best maple syrup in the world!

[ tapping the tree ]

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