{"id":62362,"date":"2022-03-09T12:47:19","date_gmt":"2022-03-09T17:47:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.themainemag.com\/?p=62362"},"modified":"2022-06-10T10:03:36","modified_gmt":"2022-06-10T14:03:36","slug":"how-to-tap-a-maple-tree-like-a-mainer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.themainemag.com\/how-to-tap-a-maple-tree-like-a-mainer\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Tap a Maple Tree Like a Mainer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Like most projects, making maple syrup can be as simple or as complicated as you want. For the average backyard hobbyist, Craigslist is a good source for supplies. \u201cA lot of people take a used 55-gallon drum, cut holes in the top of it, put steam pans in, a smokestack off the back, and a fireplace door on the front,\u201d says Scott Dunn, a fourth-generation sugar maker and owner of Dunn Family Maple in Buxton. Here in Maine we can tap red maples, sugar maples, and silver maples\u2014\u201cIf you can find it, you can tap it,\u201d Dunn says. One good tree can produce a pint to a quart of syrup, depending on the year. Simply drill a hole in the trunk, stick a tap in, and choose a collection vessel, whether it\u2019s a bucket, a water jug, or a tubing system. \u201cThe old galvanized buckets are by far my favorite,\u201d says Dunn. \u201cYou get this sweet harmony of sap dripping on the bottom of the empty bucket.\u201d Dunn started sugaring as a kid in Vermont using his great-grandfather\u2019s buckets and boiling the sap in a big pot over an open fire. In its simplest form, making syrup is just a matter of evaporating the water from the sap. The heat from the fire causes the sugars to caramelize, creating the liquid gold we know and love. But be warned: you probably don\u2019t want to boil sap in your kitchen. As the old farmer\u2019s joke goes, \u201cWe have syrup, but now there\u2019s no wallpaper.\u201d These days, Dunn uses a sugar shack, which creates a perfect place to gather with family and friends on sugaring weekends. \u201cThe rule everyone tries to follow is, if the sap runs that day, boil it that day,\u201d he says. Don\u2019t have enough sap to boil at once? If temps are below 50 degrees, you can leave the sap out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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