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Maple sap is thin, barely
sweet, and as colourless as spring water. The distinctive maple taste comes
only through boiling.
However, the sugar in the sap is a bit of a mystery. It seems that each
fall, the tree produces its own supply of starch to act as an anti-freeze
for the roots in winter. When the snow melts, water enters the roots and
the “sugar water” starts flowing through the tree in preparation
for the growing season.
When the spring thaw begins, the wood starts to dilate. The water trapped
inside the rays of the tree is subjected to tremendous pressure. Thus,
tapping the trunk allows the water to be released. This step is repeated
from March until April, until the buds turn into leaves.
The ideal conditions for a good harvest require rising temperatures above
the freezing level during the day and falling temperatures below the freezing
level at night.
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Maple producers drill holes
of 1 cm in diameter by 5 cm in depth into the tree trunks. It is possible
to drill more than one hole per tree, but placing several taps in maple
trees with trunks less than 25 cm in diameter is not recommended. A spout
is then inserted in the hole, which allows the sap to drip in a bucket.
It is important to know that prudent tapping is harmless to maple trees.
However, a long and thin scar does appear above and below the tap after
the spring run, but the wood there is no longer active. The tree plugs the
hole over a two to three year period. It isolates the injury and continues
to grow until it reaches a life span of up to 200 years. |
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Traditionally, maple producers
collected the sap by hand from metal buckets. Then, they carried their
harvest to the sugarhouse on a horse-driven sleigh.
Today, elaborate tree-to-tree tubing systems are used to run the sap
directly into the sugarhouse. |
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The sap is boiled in flat
metal pans called “evaporators” until it is turned into syrup.
It must be boiled the same day it is collected. Furthermore, in order to
obtain good maple syrup, constant high heat must be maintained. On average,
32 litres of sap are required to produce 1 litre of maple syrup.
The sap is boiled to evaporate the water and concentrate the sugar content.
The boiling sap undergoes a complex sequence of chemical reactions responsible
for colour development and the unique taste of maple products.
The sap is ready when it reaches temperature of 104° C or 219.2°
F |
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