John is an amazing man. 80 years old, nearly, and still works full time at his law practice, and finds time to perform many community activities, write books, go duck hunting, work with conservation groups, and many other things that make me tired just thinking of them. This picture of John was stolen from one of his books. It is a few years old. Some recent ones are further down the blog.
One of John's activities that really interests me is his syrup making.
Making maple syrup has been an activity of early spring since the pre-columbian era in America. Native Americans would gash the trees, collect the sap, let it partially freeze to enrich the sap and then boil it down, sometimes by dropping heated stones into the sap. Maybe after the syrup was made, they licked the stones...I dunno. Ohio has a long history of making maple syrup, and is reportedly second only to Vermont in it's production.
Trees suitable for tapping include all of the maple family: sugar, silver and red maples as well as box elder. Sugar maple sap contains the highest concentration of sugar (2% or higher according to weather conditions and the health of the tree). Box Elder produces a weaker sap, but one which is especially delicious to drink as is, tasting like a slightly sweet spring water. Other species of trees which reportedly may be tapped include walnut, hickories, sycamore and sweet birch. Trees to be tapped should be at least 1 1/2 feet in diameter, have large healthy crowns, and be well exposed to the sun. These are a few pictures of John and some of the trees he tapped this year.
The flow of sap is highly dependant upon weather conditions. Flow does not begin until after a time of hard freeze, followed by several sunny days with temperatures in the 40s. The peak flow occurs early in the sugaring season when it freezes at night and is bright and sunny the next day with the temperature in the 40s. The flow will stop when daytime temperatures do not go above freezing, or when night temperatures do not go below freezing. The flow usually lasts roughly three to four weeks. While it flows, collect the sap daily, preferably in the late afternoon. If the trees are tapped too soon and flow does not begin, it is possible that the holes will seal over and subsequent flow is inhibited significantly. The holes may have to be redrilled in this case.
Drill the tapping hole about 3 feet from the ground and 1 1/2- 2" deep into the trunk, with a slight upward slope so the sap flows out of the hole. Position the hole on the sunniest side of the tree, avoiding tapping directly below a lower limb or trunk defect. (Northern exposure often will not flow at all early in the flow.) Use a drill with
a 3/8ths inch bit to drill into the sunniest side of the tree trunk.After the turnings are cleaned out of the hole, insert a spile into a hook eye with the hook towards the spout, and insert the assembly, lip down, into the hole, tap it in firmly and hang the bucket to the spile. In some cases, the bucket has a hole to receive the hook.
It takes 30-33 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup. This year, in his spare time, John produced 300 gallons of sap. Amazing!
I'm not sure what steps are involved in making the syrup, but I know you have to boil it a bit. John used to do it all in the house,but my understanding is that he melted a coffee pot, or can opener or something, and had soot all over the kitchen, and was banished to the outside by Nancy.
Nancy is a real sweetie, though, and still allows him to fill the containers with syrup in the kitchen.
In 2007 the average retail price of a gallon of maple syrup was $33.20. This year, it fetches a minimum of $59.95. Usually more. If it wasn't so much work, I might try it myself. I will content myself with eating it.
