Maple Syrup
Spring, 2010
Tapping the Trees
Last fall we had gone around and marked all the maples we deemed ok for tapping which was really helpful in February when there were no leaves on the trees! Since Rubby had greatly improved our trail through the woods, we decided to concentrate on the trees that were closer to the path for easy access when it came time to collecting the sap. We didn't tap all the trees at once, mainly because a. we weren't sure we had the timing right since it seemed a bit early yet and b. we wanted to save some buckets to hang with friends and family so others could see how it was done.
We learned a couple of things along the way:
- Hang the buckets low enough so the kids can look in without being lifted.
- Don't tap the spouts in too far or they will get bent out of shape.
- Make sure you try and tap over a main root or under a main branch to get a good run. We forgot to watch out for this and as a result we had some buckets that were flowing over while others remained virtually dry.
The first tree we tapped was the big maple right in the yard.
Oops, a little too much power on that tap!
The first bucket is on... let the dripping begin.
Tree number 2... although close to the house, a cordless drill is definitely a necessity!
Samantha is having fun... her job is to make sure the hole is clean of wood shavings before the spout gets tapped in.
Christopher's job is supervising...
... and inspecting. Looks good!
Tree number 3... good thing the maples have all been pre-identified and marked!
Tree number 4 is right by the path where the fiddleheads grow in the spring.
Tap, tap, tap!
Spout in, bucket hanging, now for the lid...
This maple is right at the edge of the marsh.
Christopher wants to see in the bucket.
Backyard sugarin' is fun!
Drip!
As the days go by, we add more buckets.
On to the next one!
As we were tapping the trees, Rubby wore the snowshoes to make a good packed trail from the path to the trees.
A piece of rainbow in the sky... hopefully this is a sign for a good sap run!
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