Sap rises in Indiana

Signs of spring are sparse right now, but we have enjoyed three days in a row with temps above freezing! So one of the best signs of spring for us is tree sap rising.

Jesse and his grandpa tapped 15 sugar maples on our little acreage yesterday after school and then tapped five more after school today.

This is our third February/March to boil sap. Each year, we have increased the number of taps. Our methods are a little more sophisticated each year and my husband says he plans to construct a "sugar shack" on the other side of the barn during the summer. Right now, we set up in the barn.

The boiling process takes lots of patience since we don't have the commercial equipment used by the big processors. We use two large, shallow stainless steel pans over a gas fired "stove" and boil away for about nine hours. Forty gallons of sap yield one gallon of incredibly delicious maple syrup. We usually make pancakes for supper after the boil is completed and soak them in beautiful golden syrup.

This evening, eleven year old Jesse came in and said, "Pa, I drank all of the sap out of the trees. It's the most delicious water there is and the freshest!" He had stayed outside after the tapping process and when I looked out the kitchen window, I saw him taking the bags off the trees and letting sap drip on his tongue.

His Pa (grandpa) said, "Well I guess we'll have to boil you down to get to the syrup."

Do you have a sugar maple? Boiling your own sap for syrup is fun. Just Google, "How to Make Maple Syrup" and you will find a simple set of instructions to follow. Ten gallons of sap will yield a delicious quart for you.

Give it a try.