RSSHow Real Maple Syrup is Made
Jan 28
Nutrition maple syrup, organic maple syrup Comments Off
The process of making maple syrup, also known as “sugaring”, takes place in Canada as well as in the Northeastern parts of the United States in the spring months. Colder climates are necessary for producing maple syrup, because in order to make the sap flow, the weather needs to frequently alternate between freezing and thawing. In Vermont, the largest producer of maple syrup and organic maple syrup in the United States, the sugaring season usually begins in early March, and typically lasts six weeks.
To begin the process of sugaring, one or more “tap holes” are drilled directly into the trunk of the tree. Sugarmakers take extra precaution to make these tap holes very small to ensure that the tree itself is not damaged during the process. Sugar maples are the only variety of tree that produces the sap that is used to make organic maple syrup, and it takes around 40 years for one to grow to the necessary size for tapping. Once the holes are drilled, a spout is placed into each tap hole which draws the sap into a bucket or plastic tubing, depending on the preference of the sugarmaker.
After the sap is collected, it is brought to a sugarhouse, where the sap undergoes a process of boiling, in which the water is evaporated from the sap, creating a thick syrup, which we all know as maple syrup. After filtering the maple syrup, it is taste-tested and graded based on its color before it is ultimately packaged and sold to the public.
If you’re interested in visiting a sugarhouse in person to witness firsthand the entire process of creating maple syrup, there are many places that welcome visitors on various “maple weekends”. They take place in Vermont, New Hampshire, and New York at different times. Coombs Family Farms attends the maple weekend in Alstead, New Hampshire, where they allow you to sample their delicious maple syrup, as well as their other maple products.