How We Make Maple Syrup
Collecting the Sap
“Sugaring” refers to the process of making maple syrup. Sugaring usually starts at Dunstable Farm in mid-March, but it varies depending on weather: warm days and cold nights start the sap running. The Bothfelds burn the first boiling date into the wall of the current sugarhouse, built in 1990.
The sugaring process lasts as long as the trees give sap, usually about 3-4 weeks. Sugaring does not hurt the maple tree in any way, and a tree can give sap for its entire life with no ill effect to the tree.
A large stand of mostly maple trees is called a “sugarbush”. At Dunstable Farm, the sugaring process starts by spreading buckets at the base of each healthy maple tree throughout the sugarwoods. While sleds used to be driven by oxen, today a bulldozer pulls a hand-made sled filled with buckets, lids, and taps. Teams of 3-4 travel through the woods, using snowshoes to drop buckets at the base of each tree. The picture above shows Skip driving the bulldozer, which pulls a sled filled with buckets.
As soon as the buckets are scattered, teams of 3 spread out on snowshoes to tap the trees and hang the buckets. The first step is to drill a hole, then a tap is carefully hammered in, and then the bucket is hung, and a lid attached to keep out rain and debris. The taps are removed at the end of each season, and new taps are put in a different spot each year so as not to harm the tree.
By the time the buckets are hung, it’s time to start collecting sap. Again driven by a bulldozer, a sled is pulled through the woods holding a large storage container for the sap. Dunstable Farm has two such sleds, one holding 220 gallons of sap, the other 300 gallons. Teams cover the sugarwoods, checking every bucket, collecting sap on the sled, then delivering it to the main sugarhouse. Sap buckets can fill up every day, depending on the tree and the weather.
The Sugarhouse
The sugarhouse is where sap is processed into syrup. The current sugarhouse at Dunstable Farm was built by hand in 1990 by Skip, family, and friends. Much of the wood used came from their sugarwoods. Some equipment is bought, some is handmade. All sugarhouses have an open roof for smoke and steam to escape. You can tell if a sugarhouse is boiling when you see a column of steam billowing out of the roof.
The only difference between sap from the tree and finished maple syrup is the water content. Nothing is added or taken away except water. Sap from the tree contains approximately 98% water, while finished syrup contains about 34% water. It takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of maple syrup.
As soon as the sap is delivered to the sugarhouse, the process begins. The first step is the Reverse Osmosis machine, which can remove as much as 50% of the water content. Almost all sugarhouses today utilize this process.
The sap then moves to the evaporator machine. Many sugarhouses use oil as fuel; Dunstable Farm still uses wood, all from their sugarwoods. The wood is cut during the “off-season” in the summer; at the beginning of the season there is probably 30 cords stacked at the end of the sugarhouse. The sap must be boiled down to caramelize the sugar, giving the syrup its rich color and texture. The evaporator uses a maze-like structure, allowing as much contact as possible with the stainless steel wood-heated surface to boil away the water content. As the liquid travels through the maze, the water boils off and becomes denser. At the end of the maze, the liquid is tested for temperature and density, and is then siphoned off to the filter press machine, where a final filter removes any crystallized sugar particles called “sugar sand”.
At this point the syrup is checked for color to determine its grade. The grade of syrup is determined by the tree and the time of season tapped. Early in the season syrup is usually clearest, or “fancy”, while later season sap often produces “dark amber” syrup. One grade is not “better” than another; it’s simply a matter of taste, and the end use of the syrup.
Following are the four grades of maple syrup as distinguished by the Vermont Department of Agriculture, Food, & Markets:
Vermont Fancy, U.S. Grade A Light Amber: A delicate maple bouquet and a mild maple flavor.
Vermont Grade A Medium Amber: A good all-around table syrup.
Vermont Grade A Dark Amber: A heartier bouquet and maple flavor.
Vermont Grade B: The strongest and darkest table grade syrup, often used in cooking.
Now ready for bottling, the final syrup is placed into containers and sealed. At Dunstable Farm, the goal is to process the sap the same day it’s gathered. Sometimes this means working well into the night, but always produces the freshest, sweetest product.
Some facts about maple syrup:
Sugar On Snow- A Vermont Tradition
Sugar on snow is a distinctly Vermont tradition. Dunstable Farm traditionally has a Sugar on Snow party at the end of the season to include all the family and friends who helped create that year’s syrup.
Sugar on Snow is created by over-heating sap to 255 degrees, then drizzling it over a bowl of fresh snow, creating a taffy-like lace pattern. Alternate with donuts (to cut the sweetness) and sour pickles (you have to try it!), and it’s pure Vermont.
“Sugaring” refers to the process of making maple syrup. Sugaring usually starts at Dunstable Farm in mid-March, but it varies depending on weather: warm days and cold nights start the sap running. The Bothfelds burn the first boiling date into the wall of the current sugarhouse, built in 1990.
The sugaring process lasts as long as the trees give sap, usually about 3-4 weeks. Sugaring does not hurt the maple tree in any way, and a tree can give sap for its entire life with no ill effect to the tree.
A large stand of mostly maple trees is called a “sugarbush”. At Dunstable Farm, the sugaring process starts by spreading buckets at the base of each healthy maple tree throughout the sugarwoods. While sleds used to be driven by oxen, today a bulldozer pulls a hand-made sled filled with buckets, lids, and taps. Teams of 3-4 travel through the woods, using snowshoes to drop buckets at the base of each tree. The picture above shows Skip driving the bulldozer, which pulls a sled filled with buckets.
As soon as the buckets are scattered, teams of 3 spread out on snowshoes to tap the trees and hang the buckets. The first step is to drill a hole, then a tap is carefully hammered in, and then the bucket is hung, and a lid attached to keep out rain and debris. The taps are removed at the end of each season, and new taps are put in a different spot each year so as not to harm the tree.
By the time the buckets are hung, it’s time to start collecting sap. Again driven by a bulldozer, a sled is pulled through the woods holding a large storage container for the sap. Dunstable Farm has two such sleds, one holding 220 gallons of sap, the other 300 gallons. Teams cover the sugarwoods, checking every bucket, collecting sap on the sled, then delivering it to the main sugarhouse. Sap buckets can fill up every day, depending on the tree and the weather.
The Sugarhouse
The sugarhouse is where sap is processed into syrup. The current sugarhouse at Dunstable Farm was built by hand in 1990 by Skip, family, and friends. Much of the wood used came from their sugarwoods. Some equipment is bought, some is handmade. All sugarhouses have an open roof for smoke and steam to escape. You can tell if a sugarhouse is boiling when you see a column of steam billowing out of the roof.
The only difference between sap from the tree and finished maple syrup is the water content. Nothing is added or taken away except water. Sap from the tree contains approximately 98% water, while finished syrup contains about 34% water. It takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of maple syrup.
As soon as the sap is delivered to the sugarhouse, the process begins. The first step is the Reverse Osmosis machine, which can remove as much as 50% of the water content. Almost all sugarhouses today utilize this process.
The sap then moves to the evaporator machine. Many sugarhouses use oil as fuel; Dunstable Farm still uses wood, all from their sugarwoods. The wood is cut during the “off-season” in the summer; at the beginning of the season there is probably 30 cords stacked at the end of the sugarhouse. The sap must be boiled down to caramelize the sugar, giving the syrup its rich color and texture. The evaporator uses a maze-like structure, allowing as much contact as possible with the stainless steel wood-heated surface to boil away the water content. As the liquid travels through the maze, the water boils off and becomes denser. At the end of the maze, the liquid is tested for temperature and density, and is then siphoned off to the filter press machine, where a final filter removes any crystallized sugar particles called “sugar sand”.
At this point the syrup is checked for color to determine its grade. The grade of syrup is determined by the tree and the time of season tapped. Early in the season syrup is usually clearest, or “fancy”, while later season sap often produces “dark amber” syrup. One grade is not “better” than another; it’s simply a matter of taste, and the end use of the syrup.
Following are the four grades of maple syrup as distinguished by the Vermont Department of Agriculture, Food, & Markets:
Vermont Fancy, U.S. Grade A Light Amber: A delicate maple bouquet and a mild maple flavor.
Vermont Grade A Medium Amber: A good all-around table syrup.
Vermont Grade A Dark Amber: A heartier bouquet and maple flavor.
Vermont Grade B: The strongest and darkest table grade syrup, often used in cooking.
Now ready for bottling, the final syrup is placed into containers and sealed. At Dunstable Farm, the goal is to process the sap the same day it’s gathered. Sometimes this means working well into the night, but always produces the freshest, sweetest product.
Some facts about maple syrup:
- Maple Syrup has the same calcium content as whole milk.
- Maple Syrup has only 40 calories per tablespoon, unlike corn syrup which has 60 calories per tablespoon.
- Vermont produces more maple syrup than any other state.
- When done properly, tapping does no permanent damage to the tree. Some maple trees have been tapped for over a hundred years!
- It takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of maple syrup.
- Real maple syrup is 100% natural and organic.
- Maple syrup is 100% fat free.
- Real maple syrup contains no preservatives.
Sugar On Snow- A Vermont Tradition
Sugar on snow is a distinctly Vermont tradition. Dunstable Farm traditionally has a Sugar on Snow party at the end of the season to include all the family and friends who helped create that year’s syrup.
Sugar on Snow is created by over-heating sap to 255 degrees, then drizzling it over a bowl of fresh snow, creating a taffy-like lace pattern. Alternate with donuts (to cut the sweetness) and sour pickles (you have to try it!), and it’s pure Vermont.
