OUR PROCESS

Making maple syrup is a tricky process. It requires a bit of negotiation and lots of understanding with dear Mother Nature as she decides when to provide the perfect conditions to start tapping our trees. When it looks as if there will be days with above freezing temperatures and nights that still dip to freezing on a regular basis, we know it’s time to get things underway. 

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Armed with a 5/16” bit, we drill a 1.5”-2” deep hole, place a spile, give it a couple of taps with a hammer to seat the spile in and then connect each tap (in our case around 1,800) to a tubing system. The tangle of tubes is truly a well organized web, designed for the most effective collection of sap that culminates at a central site at the lowest point in the woods. When the tank in this location fills, it is then pumped to the Sugarhouse where the transformation begins.

 
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At the Sugarhouse, the sap begins the next leg of it’s journey in an 800 gallon tank, awaiting its turn to move through the Reverse Osmosis (RO) machine. The RO system uses high pressure to push the sap through a membrane to remove water. This part of the process is both time and energy efficient and removes about 80% of the water.

 
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Next stop is the evaporator where even more water is removed and we begin to cook the sap which caramelizes the sugars and brings forth the true flavor of this delicious liquid gold.  In order to share our bounty with you, we perform a final step in the process to filter the syrup and insure it is pure and clear and ready for bottling.

 
 
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While the technology and tools for collection may have changed over the years, the process of making maple syrup is as simple as it has ever been, yet also complicated by Mother Nature’s fickleness each maple sugaring season.  It is the dichotomy of a tried and true process to create a delectable and nutritious product, and the uncertainty of nature’s conditions that will prevail each season, that keeps us both excited and humbled by this business.

 

We love to share our passion for all things maple, our knowledge, and lessons we have learned over the years. Please stop by or contact us if you have any questions.