![](https://pantryinthepines.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/maple-syrup-16-586x1024.jpg)
How can it be spring already? Where did the winter go?!? It may technically be spring but the white substance that keeps falling from the sky seems to be unaware of the season change. The one magical occurrence during this time of year, and that is special to only certain regions of our country, is sugaring time! That’s right, this is the time of year when sweet sap flows from our maple trees and we get the privilege to turn it into pure gold. I’ll take you along as we adventure through the sugar bush to engage in an age old tradition of “making” maple syrup.
Collecting Sap
Who would have thought that you could turn sap into something as sweet and delicious as maple syrup? When I was a kid we corelated sap with a sticky mess that took aggressive scrubbing with rubbing alcohol to get off your skin. Growing up trimming trees we were covered in pine sap all summer long. We might have shed our pruning knives and nippers for a cute summer dress, but we couldn’t deny our Christmas tree heritage with sap still clinging to our arms regardless of how hard we scrubbed. Imagine my surprise when I learned that some tree sap was worth collecting.
You have to wait for the perfect weather to tap your maple trees. It has to stay below freezing at night but warm up above freezing during the day. Tapping trees essentially means that you drill a hole into a maple tree and hammer a spile into the hole that will allow the sap to drip through. You can then can collect the sap in a manner of ways. We have food grade tubing running from the spile to either buckets or milk jugs. The milk jugs are ideal if you have kids collecting. Not too heavy and they come with a built in handle!
![son and daughter tapping maple trees](http://pantryinthepines.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/maple-syrup-2-461x1024.jpg)
![maple tree tapped for sap](http://pantryinthepines.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/20220320_142919-461x1024.jpg)
![2 girls and a boy tapping maple trees](http://pantryinthepines.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/maple-syrup-1-461x1024.jpg)
Boiling Maple Sap
This is one of my favorite parts of the maple syrup process. Okay, I guess I can’t really choose, I love it all! Despite having to drag myself out to the sugar shack before the sun rises, I actually cherish the quiet mornings. Miguel and I will grab a cup of coffee, get the fire going, and watch the sun come up before he heads off to work and the kids start to trickle in to see what mom’s up to.
![2 coffee mugs in front of a maple syrup evaporator](http://pantryinthepines.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/maple-syrup-6-461x1024.jpg)
The process can be a lot fancier than our set up, but we keep it simple and end up with an amazing product every year. The pot sitting on top of the evaporating pan warms the sap before it enters the pan. This keeps us from loosing our boil. We will start before daybreak and be able to evaporate around 55 gallons of sap before bedtime. The kids and I take turns keeping the fire going, filling the sap warming pot and skimming off foam to promote better evaporation. This process keeps you from leaving the sugar shack for any length of time, but it does provide ample time for reading, watching YouTube cooking shows, and even getting some school done.
![maple sap evaporating](http://pantryinthepines.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/maple-syrup-7-461x1024.jpg)
![maple sap evaporating](http://pantryinthepines.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/maple-syrup-10-461x1024.jpg)
![skimming foam off maple sap](http://pantryinthepines.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/maple-syrup-11-461x1024.jpg)
![boys working on spelling words](http://pantryinthepines.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/maple-syrup-4-1024x461.jpg)
![boys working on spelling words](http://pantryinthepines.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/maple-syrup-5-1024x461.jpg)
Finishing Maple Syrup
Maybe this is my favorite part! It’s just too hard to choose. My mind is captivated every year by watching clear sap collected from a tree reduced into something as delicious as maple syrup. Who figured out this fascinating anomaly? Whoever it was, I am sure glad they did. Maple sap is officially maple syrup once it has reached a boiling point of 219 degrees. We pull our sap off the evaporator around 217 degrees and finish it in our garage.
![maple syrup](http://pantryinthepines.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/maple-syrup-12-461x1024.jpg)
![boiling maple syrup](http://pantryinthepines.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/maple-syrup-14-461x1024.jpg)
![maple syrup set up to can](http://pantryinthepines.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/maple-syrup-13-461x1024.jpg)
Once it reaches 219 degrees we take it off the stove, strain it to remove the sediment, and pour it into quart or pint jars. I prep my jars and lids as if I would be canning something but in the case of maple syrup I don’t actually can it. I just put my sanitized lids on the jars, tighten up the rings and leave them set out over night. The intense heat of the syrup causes the lids to seal and these become shelf stable for the whole year. Interestingly enough, you don’t have to refrigerate your pure maple syrup once it’s opened. It can even grow a mold or film on top and it’s no big deal. This miracle food is chock full of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Healthy and delicious is a win-win.
The Finished Product: Maple Syrup
This must officially be my favorite part because all the hard work has come to fruition. You have spent days hiking through the woods collecting sap, hours upon hours watching that sap turn into a sugary syrup substance, and now it is preserved for your family to enjoy year round. There is nothing like the experience of seeing your hard work produce something that will nourish your family meal after meal.
![Maple syrup](http://pantryinthepines.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/maple-syrup-15-1024x461.jpg)
I believe maple syrup is a gift from God. While reading in Deuteronomy recently, Moses described the promised land the Israelites were going to enter. We have heard that it was a land flowing with milk and honey, but he elaborated even more. He says there will be grapevines, fig trees and pomegranates. These are all sweet things! Our culture knows that we are eating too much sugar and it is reeking havoc on our health. But, we must remember not to pendulum swing too far. God provided sweet things to be enjoyed in moderation and I will benefit from this sweet goodness all year long!
I love this so much! Can you come set it up for me so I can enjoy the process too?