I have made maple syrup for quite a few years now. If you have maple trees, you CAN do it. It is so easy. You need to buy your taps now and start saving your milk jugs. I put a hole toward the top of the jug to hang of the tap. In the spring when the nights go below freezing and it is above freezing during the day is when you tap. You stop when the sap tastes "buddy." You don't need that explained really, you will definately taste the difference in the sap. The aprox. ratio of sap to syrup is 40 gallon to 1 gallon (or 5 gallons to 1 pint.) You need to boil it outside because of the moisture being evaporated. I bought from a resturant supply place a stainless steel flat pan. You want as much surface exposed to the heat. The pan was probably used for french fries. I have over the years set up cement blocks and set the pan's lip edge on these over the fire below. Toward the end you bring the syrup inside and strain. Best is felt, but I have used towels for straining. Then you boil to 219 degrees. I usually don't go that high because it can begin to crystalize in the jar, when it does that, it crystalizes very quickly. Also toward the end it will boil over real fast and carmalize. WHAT A MESS that has been all over the stove and a waste of your syrup. When the syrup is still very hot, I pour into jars, put the lid on and turn it upside down for 5 minutes. I then turn back over and they will seal. You can drink the sap right from the tree too. My requirement when we were looking for a new home was maple trees. I had 25 taps in last year and got about 8 gallons of syrup. It usually took a half hour to boil off 1 gallon.

-- palavia (mom@home.com), October 16, 1999

Answers

palavia,

Thanks for the info. I have the taps and I have the trees to make syrup. I'm going to mark the trees now while there are still some leaves on the trees. I'm not sure I'll know what trees are maple when they have no leaves in the spring.

-- monique (me@home.here), October 16, 1999.

Palavia-I too have maple syruped for many years and agree that I do not go to 219 degrees, but stop it at 216-217. The syrup is a little thin, but who cares, it still tastes good. Have you ever had any problem with just "turning" the jars over for 5 minutes and letting them seal. I always process through the canner, and wondered if it wasn't just a waste of time, after just having the syrup up to over boiling. Thanks

-- Bill (bill@SHF.com), October 17, 1999.

Bill, For the 6 years I have made syrup, I have only turned the jar upside down and then back again. Never used the canner. Remember it is all sugar.

-- Palavia (mom@home.com), October 17, 1999.