Maple Syrup
About Maple Syrup
Maple syrup is a product made from the sap of maple trees and is made in late winter and early spring. Tree sap is mostly water that contains diluted sugars, minerals, and nutrients. The sap moves through the outside portion of the tree called the xylem. The xylem is a series of many straw-like tubes that run from the end of the roots to the top of the branches.
Other than having a healthy stand of maples (a sugarbush), temperature is the main factor in maple production. For sap to flow, nights must be below freezing and days above freezing. On a productive day, taps can produce on average a gallon of raw sap.
Other factors that affect maple production include precipitation, cloud coverage, seed production, soil health, and summer photosynthesis production. The ratio for sap to syrup is usually around 40:1. In gallons, this is 40 gallons of sap equaling 1 gallon of syrup. This ratio can change year to year or even throughout a season depending on many variables.
To harvest sap, sugar makers drill small holes in a tree and insert taps or spiles. Buckets or hoses are used to collect the sap. Sap then flows through the piping or is collected in buckets and brought to the sugar shack. At the sugar shack, sap is held in large storage containers until it is boiled in large cooking pans on top of wood or gas fired ovens called evaporators. As heat is applied to maple sap, water is boiled off leaving sweeter and sweeter sap. This process is continued until enough water is boiled off and the sap becomes sweet thick syrup.
Maple tree sap on average contains 2% sugar. In the US, to be considered syrup it must be between 66% and 68% sugar. If syrup is below 66% sugar it could ferment or grow mold. If it is above 68% sugar it will start to form sugar crystals. When sugar makers make maple candies, sugar, or cream, they must raise the sugar content of maple syrup above 68%.
Trip to the Sugarbush
Take a virtual field trip to Shaver Hill Maple Farm, a real NY maple farm, to learn how NY maple is produced, the science involved in making maple syrup, and how NY maple syrup is marketed and shipped across the Empire State.
Fun Facts
- New York ranks number two in maple production in the US.
- It is estimated that New York has the largest maple tree stocks in the world and could become the leading producer globally.
- Currently, New York taps around 1% of its maple tree stocks.
- There are many other species of trees that can be tapped for syrup production. Syrup produced from different tree species has a unique and distinct flavor.