Maple sugaring season in the Middle Atlantic States runs from about the third week in February to around the third week in March, depending on the weather. That is when warm temperatures in the afternoons expand the cells of the cambium layer just under the bark of sugar maple trees and cold air at night contracts those same cells. With several consecutive days and nights of fluctuating temperatures, the cells expand and contract every day, pumping the sap up the trunks, cell by cell, day after day, and out the limbs to every twig where that sap, which is 98% water and 2% sugar, lies in wait, ready to nourish the growth of flowers, leaves and twigs by the end of April and into early May.
Native Americans in eastern Canada and the northeastern part of the United States, which is the natural range of sugar maple trees, were the first people to make pure maple syrup from sugar maple sap. Having made maple syrup myself over many years, I often wondered how the Indians ever thought that maple sap, which is as clear as water when it comes out of the trees, could be made into edible syrup they could pour over snow and the corn cakes they made.
I like to think there was a group of Indians camped overnight, early in spring, in a place where there was no water for drinking or cooking. But those people knew if they cut into the bark of certain trees they could collect the watery sap to drink and cook in. As they cooked food in maple sap they sensed a wonderful odor as the liquid became darker. They may have dipped into that liquid, let it cool, tasted it, and discovered it was good. Later, they may have cooked maple sap by itself to experience what would happen and discovered, delightfully, pure maple syrup.
After the process of making syrup was realized, the Native Americans of northeastern North America could make syrup, their only sweetener, every spring when the sugar-laden sap is going up the trunks and is accessible to people. They used stone axes to cut long V's into the bark deep enough to let the sap flow out. They probably put a chunk of bark into the bottom of each V to channel the sap away from the tree and allow it to drip into a hollowed out log on the ground. Fires were built near those logs gathering sap and rocks were put into each fire. Hot rocks were taken out of the fires by the use of wooden paddles and put into the sap in each hollowed log. By rotating the rocks, day and night for days, a boil was reached and maintained, releasing the excess water into the air as steam. The result was dark, thicker-than-water syrup because the burnt sugar and some of the water stayed in the cooking logs.
European colonists didn't know syrup could be made from maple sap, though there are maple trees in Europe. Apparently, Europeans weren't as tied to nature as Indians were. And the Europeans had honey, so they had little reason to look for a sweetener. But upon their arrival in America, they learned syrup making from the natives.
John Burroughs, a farmer and famous naturalist in the nineteenth century in the Hudson Valley of New York State tapped sugar maple trees every spring on his farm. He wrote in his WRITINGS, II, Next week, or the week after, it may be time to begin plowing, and other sober work about the farm; but this week we will picnic among the maples, and our campfire shall be an incense to spring". Obviously, John Burroughs enjoyed maple sugaring on his farm.
Making pure maple syrup is a simple, but time consuming, process. Simply drill holes one-quarter of an inch in diameter about an inch deep, or a little more, into the bark of sugar maple trees to reach the cambium layer. One hole should be put into young trees that have a trunk diameter of at least one foot and three taps could be drilled into older, larger trees. Hammer in a wooden spile made from a hollow twig, or a bought, metal one, into each tap and attach a container to the spout to collect the dripping sap. Sap won't drip if the temperatures are constantly cold, or continually warm. But if temperatures are warm in the afternoons and cold at night, each tap will drip quite well in the warmth, but stop during the cold night. The containers need to be checked as often as necessary, sometimes a couple times a day when the sap is dripping well. Sap collectors may notice flies or small moths floating dead in the sap, but those insects aren't going to harm anything. The insects smelled the sugar in the sap and entered the containers to eat that sugar, only to drown in the sap.
Sap must be kept cold to retard the growth of bacteria that would spoil it. Even freezing doesn't hurt the sap because it is mostly water and thaws when it warms. If it is stored for several days until it can be boiled down to syrup, sap must be boiled every few days at least to kill bacteria that would eat the sugar in the sap, spoiling it. If the clear sap turns milky, it is spoiled and must be dumped.
Boiling the sap removes excess water from it, water that leaves the container in the form of steam. It takes about 36 to 40 gallons of sugar maple sap to make one gallon of syrup, which takes about 7 or 8 hours of cooking. Boiling should be done outside so as to not ruin the furniture and wall paper in a house. Any insects or bits of wood in the sap will float to the surface of the boiling sap with foam caused by the cooking sugar. The foam, insects and other impurities can be removed with a sieve. The boiling, of course, will kill any bacteria that was in the sap. Test the syrup occasionally to check its color, taste and consistency. When the syrup's color and consistency is appealing to the cook, it is done and ready to be consumed however one wishes.
Maple syrup can be boiled down more to make crystallized candy. Eleven pounds of syrup will make 7 pounds of candy. Again cook the syrup until it becomes foamy in the pan, then pour it into a plate and let it cool. As it cools, it crystallizes and can be broken into little chunks for eating. Like the syrup, it has its own flavor.
The sap of other kinds of maple trees, and birch trees, can also be used to make syrup because it is also sweet. But those trees have a little less than 1% of sugar in their sap, which would take about 80 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup.
Maple sugaring is a rite of spring. It was first discovered by the First Americans in the northeastern forests of North America. And although maple syrup and sugar are not necessities of life, they sure make it more enjoyable through their history, lore and pleasurable taste.
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