Shaker Sugar is buzzing with excitement as we get underway another maple syrup season! The trees, tapped and rousing from their winter slumber, stand ready to offer their sweet sap. Our woodpiles are stacked high, and the stainless steel of the evaporator pans stand gleaming. We anticipate a bountiful season, eager to share the taste of spring with all of you
How you might ask, do we know when the season is starting? We keep a close eye on the weather, waiting for a good cold spell that stays below freezing day and night for at least a week, which in recent years has been occurring earlier and earlier, like this year, around mid-January. This first freeze signals the time to tap the trees. Then, we wait for the ideal conditions: warm days in the 30s and cold nights in the 20s. These temperature fluctuations encourage sap to flow up and down the trees. When the sap is flowing, the taps collect a steady stream of sap. These combined drops from many trees accumulate to hundreds of liters of sap to boil down.
The sap from our trees is about 1.5% sugar, so extensive boiling is required to concentrate it. We have to reach the New York State minimum of 66% sugar content, but don’t go too high. Exceeding 68% risks crystallization, similar to rock candy in a bottle. Conversely, falling below 66% increases the risk of fermentation.