Maple Syrup Harvesting

Maple Syrup Harvesting – Outdoor Parenting With Sweet Results

Harvesting maple syrup in early spring is a fun and educational way to make it through the “dog days” of winter. From toddlers to teens, everyone in the family can be involved. It can be done anywhere maple trees grow and equipment is widely available.

You can incorporate it into a homeschool curriculum or just enjoy the fruits of your labor. You and your family will grow more connected to your environment through observing local seasons, wildlife, and trees.

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Girl catches a drop of sap in her mouth from a maple tree tap while maple syrup harvesting — Evelyn getting a drink of sap right from the tree.

Table Of Contents

Seasons For Maple Syruping

Spring

Tapping trees for sap is done during the time of the year when daytime temps are above 32F and nighttime temps fall below that. This is typically spring, though it’s possible to tap trees in the fall when this temperature combination occurs again.

Autumn

In the autumn the sap is not as plentiful nor as high in sugar content. The majority of maple syrup production happens in Canada, the Northeast US and Northern Midwest region.

Finding Trees to Tap

In the Woods

A section of forest that is tapped for syrup is commonly called a “sugar bush”, not to be confused with tapping bushes!

In Your (Or Your Neighbor’s) Backyard

You don’t need to have access to a rural area, however, you can tap trees in your urban or suburban yard and ask your neighbors if they mind if you tap their trees as well!

Get Permission

You can also check with your local authorities to get permission to tap public trees such as along boulevards or in parks.

Two girls and man with bucket stand next to a tree with maple sap bag hanging on it — Anja and Evelyn helping Dad collect syrup from our neighbor’s tree in urban Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Types of Trees to Tap

Maple Trees

Sugar maples produce sap with the highest sugar content and in the greatest quantity, however, you can tap any kind of maple tree.

Walnut Trees

We boiled some black walnut sap down this year which made a delicious syrup. It lacks the strong maple flavor but tastes more nutty.

Birch Trees

Birch trees have been tapped for many years in Scandinavia and are becoming more popular to tap in the US. The sugar content is much lower however, so it takes much more sap to produce syrup. The ratio for maple sap to syrup is 40:1 while Birch is 110:1.

Identify the trees you want to tap either during the warm months when leaves are out or use a guide to help you during leaf off.

Tapping Basics

Trees aren’t harmed by tapping but there are some guidelines for sustainable harvesting.

Size of Tree

Only tap a tree at least 10” in diameter (31” circumference), over 44” to 60” circumference you can drill two holes, over 60” can take three holes but three is the limit.

Drilling

Use a 5/16 drill bit and drill 1.5” into the tree. If the bark is very thick chip a little away so you make sure the hole is going into the tree itself.

Remove the Tap

After the season, gently remove the tap and do not try to fill in the hole, the tree will heal. You may notice sap leaking from the tapping hole after you remove the spile. That is fine, trying to plug the hole can introduce bacteria into the tree.

Clean Up

Before using your taps again be sure to sterilize them by boiling or with a bleach solution. Clean and thoroughly dry your buckets before storing them.

Next Season

The following year tap the tree 3-6” horizontally from the previous year’s tap scar.

Girl measures maple tree to see if it is large enough to tap for sap — Linnea with her grandpa in the woods measuring a maple tree to see if it is big enough to tap.

Sap Collection

Trees vary in the amount of sap they release, some may require you to collect twice a day! Others can fill a bucket very slowly. It depends on the type of tree, location, and weather. Collect your sap and store it in a cool spot for a day or two or begin cooking right away.

Girl standing next to maple tree with full sap bag hanging from it — Linnea with a full sap bag.

Maple Syrup Supplies

Tapping Supplies

Tapping equipment is widely available online, at hardware stores, urban farm suppliers, etc. Here is a beginners kit to get you started with what you need for a few trees.

A tapping specific drill bit is nice to have though not necessary to get started. Any regular 5/16” bit will work fine.

You’ll need spiles/taps for each tree, a hanger/bag or bucket, and cheesecloth or equivalent for straining your sap.

Storage Containers

Additionally you will need something to store quantities of sap in as you are boiling down. 5 gallon buckets with lids work well and can be stored in a cool spot such as a garage or basement to keep sap cool til you cook it down.

Syrup Containers

You’ll also want some containers to store your syrup in, mason jars work just fine or you can order syrup containers.

Boy sits by fire at night — William sitting by the cooker on a cold winter night.

From Sap to Syrup

Cooking Maple Syrup

Cooking With Wood

It takes a significant amount of wood to cook over a fire so have a good supply if that’s the route you’re taking. On the farm we use homemade fireboxes and two sap pans, one homemade, one commercially made, to boil down our sap.

We average 1200 gallons of sap or so per season, enough for our family to enjoy and have some extra to sell.

Cooking With Propane

You can also cook outdoors using a propane stove. For a while we boiled large quantities of sap down in our large cookers over wood fire and then finished the syrup using turkey fryers as propane was easier to control for the finished product. You could do the whole process that way as well.

Cooking Indoors

When cooking down the black walnut sap I collected this year I used a stock pot on the stove. An easy solution if you don’t have a large quantity of sap to boil down.

Cooking Process for Harvesting Syrup

Cooking down may longer than you think, remember the ratio is 40 gallons of sap to one gallon of syrup! Bring it to a steady boil and keep your eye on it as it cooks down. It will become thicker and darker as the process continues.

Feel free to sample it as it cooks. You can continue to add fresh sap to your boiling pot, you won’t ruin it. Watch for foaming as it gets closer to the finished product and lower the temp a little til that subsides.

Three kids sit next to maple syrup cooker in shed — Kids tending the cookers in the Sugar Shack

Finishing Syrup

Syrup is technically finished when it reaches 7.5 degrees Fahrenheit above the boiling point of water (212F). Remember to take into account your elevation when measuring the temperature.

You can also purchase a hydrometer to measure the ”brix” or sugar content of your syrup as it cooks to determine when it is finished.

Don’t be intimidated by the science of syrup though. When I boiled down a few gallons of black walnut sap this year I used my intuition and kept sampling til it reached the consistency I wanted. If you are making it for your own consumption you can be the judge.

Bottling

You can store finished syrup in a container in a cool place until you are ready to bottle or bottle right from the stove after you finish a batch. If it is cold before canning quickly reheat to just below boiling point.

Syrup can be canned simply with mason jars and lids. Using cheesecloth and funnel, strain hot syrup into a sterile jar to within .5” of the rim, top with a lid and ring, and wait for the pop as it cools. It will be shelf stable at that point til you are ready to enjoy. If you purchase specific syrup containers follow the instructions provided.

Woman pours hot maple syrup into bottle for storage — Bottling syrup at the farm

Weather and Clothing Considerations

Syruping takes place in the shoulder season between winter and spring. This year (2023) we had over two feet of snow in the woods when we tapped trees. By the end of the 3 week season it was 60 degrees. Some years there isn’t any snow to slog through.

Rain, snow, wind, and cold are all possible so dress appropriately to enjoy the experience. Our family wears various combinations of winter gear and rain gear. We also use snowshoes in the woods when there is significant snow.

Needless to say, kids (and adults!) are more likely to enjoy their time syruping when they stay dry and warm. I always pack an extra set of clothes for the inevitable soggy situations.

Everyone Can Be Involved

Friends Make it Fun!

When we tap trees at our family farm our kids are much more agreeable when their cousins are along to help haul sap and tromp through the woods. We’ve also brought friends from the city down to share the experience. Immigrant friends have enjoyed the novelty of something unique to our culture.

Syruping is a way to introduce people to the outdoors that is not intimidating and doesn’t require special gear.

Building Community

It has been great to tap a few of our neighbors’ trees in the city. Conversations have been sparked and relationships deepened as they observe the sap bags filling, share stories about growing up on farms, and total up the amounts we’ve collected. We often receive text updates as the bags fill!

Group of kids with buckets pour maple sap into tank on the back of side by side in the woods — Friends and cousins make collecting maple sap less of a chore!

Young Kids

Younger kids might not be able to lift heavy bags or buckets off the trees without spilling. Our littlest ones have enjoyed riding in the side-by-side into the woods, tasting sap from the trees, walking to the neighbor’s to collect here in the city, or sitting by the fire with grandma and grandpa, getting a drink of warm sap every once in a while. The camaraderie of the experience has given them a love for the season even before they can do much of the work.

Safety Considerations

Typically we have an adult or two staying up at the house to watch the fire, prepare a meal, or just keep an eye on the kids. Keeping little ones away from the stoves and boiling sap is paramount. Sometimes when weather is particularly nasty one of the older kids stays inside with little ones to keep them occupied. Maple syrup harvesting has the benefit of being an outdoor activity usually located near a dwelling so everyone can be involved as much as they are able while a lot of work is getting done.

Tips for Success

Snacks

Syruping can be hard work, and in the cold weather extra calories get burned. Make sure to have plenty of snacks for your workers. Carbs will give some energy and protein will keep them satisfied.

Hydration

Remember to stay hydrated as well. In the cold we sometimes forget to be drinking. Water bottles or thermoses of a warm drink are great. Also take a drink of sap straight from the tree, it’s a little sweet and so refreshing! When you do that, be sure no one is putting their mouth directly on the spile. Saliva can introduce harmful bacteria to the interior of the tree via the tap. Our kids will position their mouths under a steadily dripping tap or get a drink right from a bucket.

Meal Plan

If you are tapping a quantity of trees the process can get long. We’ve found it’s best to have a meal prepared that can stay warm in the oven, on the stove, or in a crockpot so people can get something to eat as they are able. You may be collecting, boiling sap inside or outside, dealing with kids’ emotions and messy clothing. Do yourself a favor and make dinner easy. We like to make a pot of chili or a casserole.

Personal Benefits of Harvesting Maple Syrup

I’m a mama who enjoys recreating in the outdoors. But oftentimes it’s challenging getting kids outside just for the ”fun” of it. Syruping gives us all tasks to accomplish and tangible results from the work. I’m happier having been out in the woods myself and knowing my kids have been active and had meaningful connection with the environment, whether they realize that or not! Syrup season is often mud season here in Minnesota and we probably wouldn’t be outdoors nearly as much without the impetus of sap needing to be collected and boiled down.

In summary, maple syruping connects your family to “place” in many ways. You join in the tradition of First Nations people who have harvested native products for millennia, learn about science and food production, spend lots of time outdoors, and have delicious food to share and enjoy year round. I hope you try it!