Maple Syrup 2016 Part 1: Tapping Trees

Today Harold and I began tapping maple trees.  We spent the better part of the morning doing this.  The sap is running well today.   We will continue this afternoon, but for now we are taking a little lunch break.   I took several photos this morning, and thought I would show you how things look right now!  As we go along in the process, each part will have its own photo article.

There is still lots of snow in the sugarbush (syrup maker's  lingo for maple tree woods)

Harold took the tractor and carved out a path to make it easier to drive and walk in.  We have several paths on our land for driving around and we try to tap trees along the paths so we aren't trying to haul heavy buckets too far into and out of the woods.  If we were younger we could go anywhere, but us "old folks" have to make things easier!

Harold uses a 31/64 drill bit to drill into the tree.  You drill at an angle, and only go until you still hit light colored wood shavings.  When you hit dark wood shavings, you have gone too deep.   Usually the hole is drilled between 2 and 3 inches deep.  Then a stainless steel bit is pounded in, and a bag is hung on a screw above the bag.

Some trees are large enough to support two bags!

If you look closely, you can just see a drop of sap beginning to drip out of the tap.

I am the official "equipment holder" as we go from tree to tree.   I hand Harold what he needs, and he does all the drilling and tree choosing.   He carries the 2 1/2 inch screws in his coat pocket, and I carry the tree taps in my pocket.  We've been making syrup together for almost 11 years now, so we have this whole process down to a science!

It's about 55 degrees out there now.  Supposed to be pretty warm tomorrow, too, and maybe rain.   At least with using the bags, we don't have to worry about rain getting into our sap.  In the old days using buckets, a person didn't want rain in them.   If the rain melts a little more of the snow, that's a good thing, too!  Less to have to walk in.
     People sometimes ask us why we go through all the trouble of making maple syrup when you can just go to the store and buy syrup.  We make it because we can!!  Because it comes from our own back yard, and because we know what's in it.    The pancake syrup in the store is chock full of high fructose corn syrup.  Our own maple syrup is a completely natural product.   We feel so blessed to have the opportunity to make the real thing!