Collection of the maple sap that is. When the cold blistery weather of winter starts to change to warmer days and cold nights we begin tapping the maple trees on our farm. Our primary method of sap collection is a system of tubing that connects all of the trees that we tap to the sugarhouse. We feel that this type of collection is the best way to prevent damage to the forest from running heavy equipment during the muddy and wet conditions that occur during maple syrup season. An additional benefit is the sap is collected under closed conditions that reduces the amount of debris in the sap.
At the end of the tubing is the sugarhouse. This is where the evaporation of water from the maple sap takes place. Our wood fired evaporator is 2.5 feet wide and 10 feet long. When running at full capacity the boiler will evaporate 70 gallons of water per hour. The evaporator is a combination of traditional roots and modern improvements. The traditional roots are using wood, a renewable energy that we can process on our own. And the modern improvements come in the former of a tighter air delivery system that increases combustion efficiency. The results are an evaporator that uses less wood, produces less pollution, and makes more tasty syrup.
As the syrup comes off the evaporator it is checked to ensure it is at the proper density of 67° Brix (amount of sugar in the syrup). This is the ideal range for storage and flavor, it is also the high standard that the state of Vermont uses for their maple syrup. From there the syrup is filtered and assigned a grade based on appearance (you can read more about the grades here). The final step is to heat the maple syrup up to 185°F and package it into containers ready to be taken home and enjoyed.