Monroe County Master Gardener Association

story & photos by Gail K.

Happy Belated Groundhog Day!!!
YEAH-its time to think Spring & that means
            –MAPLE SYRUP TIME !!! 
I would love to share with you, the opportunity I had to watch a friend tap his Maple trees—

Come along as Scott takes us on this unique adventure.

The clock said noon- the sun bright & a gentle breeze stroked our faces-the thermometer read a mere 27 degrees F; the snow squeaking beneath our boots as he loaded the supplies. 

Jugs, tubing, spikes, a hammer & most important a drill.

Jump in—using his new gator will make the trip to the woods much easier—HANG ON!!

Searching for the right tree – Scott shares some notable facts: ** for the sap to run, daytime temperatures
must be above freezing & below freezing at night. Last night’s temp was -4F. The forecast calling for day temps
to begin to rise; today 28 F

Stopping, we arrive at the first tree- He gets his supplies and walks over to the tree.  Scott uses *sugar maple trees:
silver maple and even box elder trees are acceptable.

 Scott inspects the trunk for a spot to drill; he has

tapped this tree before and shows me the scar–the process doesn’t harm the tree- healing over once the tap is removed……..

He studies each tree & carefully selects the spot- using a drill & marked bit, he drills a hole into the trunk. Watching this process closely it was Obvious he was looking for something; but what??? 

With the curiosity of a 2 yr old, I ask–WHY?Is there a reason why he picked that spot.

He shared: **follow a line, from where the trunk reaches out & hangs onto the ground; up to a level of comfort,

 for best results. (see below)

With the hole drilled, he blows off the sawdust and manually pushes the tap into the hole……

using a hammer to firmly tap it into proper position-

he uses two different types of spikes….the orange one above and a clear style below.

With the spike in place, he attaches a clear tubing; surprised in not seeing any running sap- maybe the

 next tree.

Above the connection with the orange spike-

Below,  connection with the clear spike.

There are several methods used to catch the sap Scott uses a gravity drain method..

attaching milk jugs to the tubing and securing them in place below the level of the tap.

we follow the rough pathways thru the woods-stopping to tap several more trees.  We must have done a dozen.

I enjoyed listening to him talk about the woods & its trees.

when I think we are about done-he stops & points to a tree off the path—

unloading the tote, he walks off towards the tree. 

This tree the KING of sap—look at the trunk-can you guess where the taps will be placed?

Did I mention-a major point of criteria-the trunk has **a diameter of at least 12 inches?  Scott knows that due to its size, this tree is capable of producing an abundance of sap

So Scott will tap this tree in a couple of spots.  Paying attention to the root formation at the base.

In fact, so much sap- each tubing will be attached to  a 5 gal. bucket vs a milk jug.  Now that is some major sap production.

With that done, we drive to the outer edge of the woods to tap the final two trees………

Located along the east pathway, they are exposed to more of the direct light from the sun.

EUREKA!!!!!!
As soon as Scott drilled the hole on the first tree,
 WE had SAP!!!!!   I was so excited I neglected to take 

the opportunity to use my finger to taste it —

 Below- With the spike in place it immediately started to slowly run down the tubing—get that jug hooked up!!!!

People are surprised when they see that the sap is clear and not the color of the syrup which comes from the bottle you use

on your pancakes….anyone else craving pancakes & waffles??

In fact, the sap has a high water content.

The process of getting “syrup” involves boiling off the water in the sap before it becomes syrup.  Scott uses this boiler

to do that..       ( more info on this- in Part 2.)

Today Scott sent this photo: so I am adding to the post……see the level of sap in the jug?? All this in just 3 days of tapping—- it won’t be long now. 

Did you enjoy our adventure?  I learned a lot and wasso impressed with the process that I never once was
bothered by the cold.  Scott has invited me back to
watch him collect the sap and to watch the processused to make syrup….I hope you will join me & MAYBEI can get a bottle so we can taste–I hear it is very sweet!!!!

THANK YOU SCOTT!!!!

the soul should always stand ajar, ready to welcome the

ecstatic experience.  Emily Dickinson