Thursday, March 19, 2020

liquid gold!

So this month was supposed to be all about quick posts and baby quilts but...

We've been making maple syrup! ๐Ÿ
We've lived in this house for almost 30 years.  There are several sugar maple trees on the property.  I've always wanted to tap one and finally, this was the year.  

It's so simple:  drill a hole at a slight angle, insert the tap, hang a bucket on the tap's hook...

and watch the sap flow!  (I lined our old bucket with a zip-lock because it's cleaner and easier to empty.)

We just tapped one tree this first year.  I cannot believe how much sap has dripped in less than a week.  I empty the bag at least 3 times a day.

I've been boiling it down in small batches on my stovetop.  This very wide Calphalon pan I purchased at an outlet store years ago has been perfect for this task.  

It takes about 1.5 hours to boil down to 2 cups which I then filter through a coffee filter.

When I've boiled down 3 pans (so I have about 6 cups) I put it in a smaller pan and boil it down some more.  Actually, now it's like making candy, I cook it till it's 219 degrees F.   

This year, I'm putting it in small canning jars.  I turn the jars over while the syrup is still hot and let them cool that way.  The jars seal themselves!  
Next year I'll plan ahead and be ready with cute maple leaf shaped jars to store it in. 
๐Ÿ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ
Have you ever turned sap to syrup?  

Having something new and fun to focus on has really helped me thru this week.  
Stay healthy!  

1 comment:

  1. What an interesting post! You know, when we lived in Wisconsin, a neighbor and I talked several times about tapping a tree on each of our proprieties... but we never did it. Your experience is so interesting! I am amazed that your ONE tree produced so much sap! But all that boiling time to reduce the sap. Bet there was lots of steam in your house. Still, I admire you for doing this, and hope the syrup tastes wonderful. Do you add any sweetener to it? How many small jars do you think you'll end up with?

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