Filed under: January 2013 | Tags: maple syrup production, maple syrup season, waiting on spring
Sugar maple waiting on Spring
January 21, 2013
In just a few weeks we will be tapping trees such as this one. The trees will give up some of their sweet sap, which will become maple syrup after it is reduced down by boiling. A tree this size will have three spiles driven into it. Three is the maximum number you should use. The idea is for maple syrup production to be sustainable. Using three taps on large trees, will still leave plenty of the sap for the tree itself.
We tap many trees that only get one spile per tree. This year we plan to tap between 1000 and 950, about double from last year. The sap roads are in place. The spiles and bags are ready to go. The horses have been working, getting ready for the upcoming work.
One of my BLOG readers asked for more detail about my sap gathering sled. I searched my photos from last year and could not find a photo of my sled and tank. The equipment is stored away in my “delightful, camoflauged semi-trailer”. A winter storm is bearing down on us, so I will leave it stored until this coming weekend. I will get photos and do an article strictly on the method I use to gather the sap.
Today, we are moving round bales, cleaning stalls and getting ready for the big snow storm and bitter cold that is about to descend upon us. It is a wonderful thing, the cold. It will hopefully make for a wonderful maple syrup season. It is hard to project, but so far it looks good. Very soon we will be gathering sap 😮
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