Mmmm....
Itís maple syruping time again
By Barbara Brown On a not so warm day last weekend, several people gathered in the meeting room of the visitor center at Wild River State Park. The group of strangers just may get a little closer during the next few weeks. They may form a bond of sympathy as they trudge through snow and mud to lug heavy buckets of maple tree sap. Three weeks of collecting the sap from trees will culminate in early April as the group spends all day ñ maybe even up to 14 hours ñ staring into a boiling pot of sap. But, their sweet reward is what keeps these ìsapsî coming back for more back-breaking work.
At the end of the collecting, storing and cooking process, the participants will be rewarded with jars of delicious, natural maple syrup. Each year around this time, the sap in maple trees begins to flow, said park naturalist Dave Crawford. Sap to a tree is what blood is to a human. It is the transportation system that moves minerals and essential nutrients to different parts of the tree. The sap flows more easily when spring time arrives and it must move nutrients to the budding leaves and growing branches. Removing sap from a tree does not hurt the tree if it is the right size and age, Crawford said. He said tappers should find a maple tree that is at least 10-inches in diameter. A tree that large has had time to develop and a hold drilled in the tree will heal without harming the treeís growth potential. Before drilling, Crawford said tappers need to disinfect their instruments. Hand drills work best for drilling maples, Crawford said. He said the drillers should use a bit disinfected with a solution of one part bleach to 10 parts water. After drilling the hole, squirt some of the disinfectant solution into the hole using a turkey baster. Be sure to stand to the side of the area being cleaned, Crawford warned. He demonstrated that, when done properly, the cleaning method results in quite a spray of bleach water that can discolor clothing. After cleaning the hole, hammer a disinfected spiel, or tap, into the hole. Hang a disinfected food-quality bucket, like ones that bakeries use to hold icing, onto the spiel. Keep the lid on the bucket to prevent anything from getting inside. Disinfection is so important because if spore and bacteria get into the hole, bucket or sap they will have a food source and multiply, thereby ruining the sap. Crawford said not to worry if the sap running from the maple is clear and thin as water. ìSome saps might be a pale yellow,î he said, ìand you might wonder if youíre doing it right. But thereís sugar in there, I tell ya.î When collecting and storing sap, use a disinfected plastic garbage pail kept in a cool place. Packing snow around the can, if it is available, creates a natural refrigerator. The longer the sap is stored, the stronger the maple flavor after it is cooked. To make one gallon of syrup, about 43 gallons of water will have to be boiled out of the sap. This is why Crawford suggests cooking the syrup the old-fashioned way: outdoors, over a large fire, in a large crock. ìWith 43 gallons of water vapor in your house, youíll have a tropical climate. It will rain in your house. The wallpaper will peel off the walls." The syrup should be cooked to 219 degrees on a candy thermometer and then watched very closely. After that point, the syrup thickens quickly and will be ruined if it is not watched. Cook it to your desired consistency and store it in glass jars in the refrigerator. More tapping and syrup classes are open. Taking the classes opens people up to new information and a history lesson about the importance of maple syrup and sugar in Native American and early American life. For information on the classes, call 651-583-2925.
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