Making Maple Syrup in Michigan

A magical time of the year is just around the corner – maple sugaring time! Very soon it will be time to tap the trees so the sap can flow and we can begin the process of making maple syrup and maple candy.

What do you know about maple sugar production in Michigan? Bob Buist, the owner of D&M Metal Products has been making maple syrup in Michigan for a number of years now, and it’s a fun and fascinating process. Michigan is #5 in the nation for maple syrup, producing an average of 90,000 gallons per year. Not all of this is commercial, although maple syrup is an agricultural commodity that contributes $2.5 million to Michigan’s economy annually. About 2,000 Michiganders produce maple syrup as a hobby or just for home use.

How many maple trees does it take to make syrup? In Michigan, only about one percent of the state’s maple forest is tapped for sugar. Of all species of maples, the sugar maple has the highest sugar content, but a tree must be about 40 years old with a 10-inch diameter before it’s ready to tap. Each tap hole produces about 10 gallons of maple sap per year, but it takes about 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup. That means every tree tapped will yield about a quart of maple syrup.

Not every winter is a good one for sugar production. A pattern of cold and warm temperatures helps to force the sap from the tree. If the winter is too warm, there will not be much sap to collect. If the temperatures are consistently cold, that’s isn’t good for production either. A rapid rise in temperature of 25 to 45 degrees will produce ideal conditions for collecting maple sap. State wide, the Michigan maple syrup season starts in February for southern counties and runs 6 to 10 weeks until it’s finished in the Upper Peninsula, but the heavy sap may only run for 10 to 20 days in any one area. When the weather gets warm enough for the maples to bud, the sap becomes bitter and collection ends.

After the sap is collected, it’s boiled to 219 degrees Fahrenheit to remove the water and concentrate the sugars. This is called evaporation. Typically an evaporator uses a cord of hardwood to make 25 gallons of syrup. D&M Metal Products designed and made the first evaporator that Bob Buist used at his sugar shack.

evaporator

The end result of this process is one of nature’s most healthy foods. Maple syrup is fat free and has 50 calories a tablespoon. It has no additives or preservatives, plenty of nutrients, minerals, antioxidants, and phytochemicals, and is shelf stable for years. It’s a great substitute for cane sugar which has no nutrients at all and a better sweetener for diabetics because it’s lower on the glycemic index.

The Boar’s Nest Sugar Shack will be ramping up syrup production again soon. If you are looking for tasty and healthy maple sugar products, let us know – we sell them in our main office. Stop by D&M Metal Products to buy maple syrup or ask Bob about his maple sugaring adventures.

Maple syrup

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