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THOnce you try homemade REAL maple syrup🍁, you’ll never be able to go back to that artificially-flavored high fructose corn syrup at the store again!
It’s a bit of work, but honestly, by the time late winter hits, I think we’re all itching to get outside and do something productive after a long winter of blobbing anyway, right?
Some additional tips I wasn’t able to squeeze into the video:
🍁While the sap from sugar maples has the highest sugar content, you can use the sap from ANY kind of maple tree! It might just take a bit longer to boil it down
🍁If you can’t locate a large root, placing the tap under a large branch on the south side is great, too
🍁Use a 7/16” drill bit and drill 2-2.5 inches deep with a slight upward angle so that the sap flows freely out
🍁We use both the metal hanging buckets and the plastic buckets with tubing, both work great it just depends on how much you want to spend
🍁Treat your sap like milk. It will spoil! It should be stored below 40 degrees and for no longer than 7 days. If it has a yellow or milky color, or smells “off,” it has spoiled.
🍁We used the temperature method when we first started (219F), but now I like to use a refractometer and look for a Brix level of 66-68.9%
🍁The maple syrup will change color as the season progresses! It’ll be light yellow at the beginning and be dark brown by the end.
🍁The season only lasts 4-6 weeks (weather permitting). You’ll know it’s over when the temps remain above freezing or when the buds start to mature on the tree. Plus, the sap will be a bit off tasting with a yellow color to it.
*If you’d like links to the same maple tapping supplies that we use and love, just comment START and I’ll send them your way!✨
@thehomesteadingrd
