Something else starts to happen when the days warm up. Something not visible, but just as sweet as those first blooms; maple sap starts to run.
Maple trees need day time temperatures above freezing and night time temperatures below freezing for sap to flow. The fluctuations in temperatures (after the winter freeze) cause the sap to alternate between rushing up to the branches and back down to the roots.
Three years ago I tried tapping a few trees - it is a simple process. I used a 5/16" drill bit to make a hole at a slightly upward angle about 2" deep into a maple tree trunk. I inserted a homemade spile; spiles are any type of device that allows the sap to run out of the tree and into your intended bucket. The first year I cut disposable pie pans and bent pieces into 4" tubes. The second year I used wooden spiles. This year I invested in some plastic spiles with 2' hoses, which gave me more flexibility on where I drilled the taps.
Boiling though, proved slightly more difficult than the tapping process. The clear and barely sweet liquid that runs from the tree needs the water content to be boiled away before it becomes the amber sap we are all familiar with. The ratio is about 40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup.
The first year I used a cast iron pot and my rocket stove. This was not an efficient method, and I ended up putting the pot on an electric burner outside. It still took several days to to boil down less than a dozen gallons, and by the time the sap had reduced to syrup it had acquired an iron flavor from the pot.
The next year I thought I'd learned my lesson. I chose the same method, but in an aluminum pot. Again, it took time to reduce, and this time the finished product had a slightly different metallic flavor.
This year, I did it right. Chafing dishes, open flame, boiled down in an afternoon resulted in the best maple syrup I've ever tasted.
I generally followed these diy evaporator plans. They worked great and are so simple! I put a few oval chafing dishes (picked up second hand) across the cinder blocks, and lit a fire.
I built the evaporator outside my garden, but close enough that I could do some chores while the sap boiled.
The hottest spot on the evaporator was the pan closest to the chimney, and I loved seeing the color progression of the sap as the sugar content concentrated.
Once I was down to one pan, I kept a close eye on it to make sure it didn't scorch. When I couldn't take the suspense (and had about an inch and a half of liquid left), I brought it inside to finish on the stove top. Following other directions I found online, I let it boil until the syrup reached 217 degrees - just above the boiling point of water.
The resulting syrup was almost buttery, and hands down incredible. I also highly recommend using some of the boiling sap (once it has a nice color, but is not yet syrup) to make coffee. I put it with fresh grounds in my french press, added a splash of local milk, and thoroughly enjoyed every sip.
So far I've boiled close to 20 gallons between the 5 trees I tapped, and given a jar to each of my sisters as stashed two in my fridge. With the wonky weather this year I'm not sure the sap will run any more. If it doesn't, I'll take comfort
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