Simpler Living Blog

DIY: Make Your Own Maple Syrup

Lehman's
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There’s an old saying; you can take the man out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the man. Roger Myers, with over a dozen years of service at Lehman’s, has a background in farming and country living. And he is full of country skills!

“I raise goats and chickens and a little bit of corn,” he said. Working at Lehman’s brought him in contact with lots of customers, including those interested in making maple syrup. “I listened to customers and how much satisfaction tapping trees for sample maple syrup gave them and I thought I would try it myself.”

That was several years ago and today Roger is our on-site syrup expert (#OnlyatLehmans). “Oh, I’ve made lots of messes, but I’ve learned over the years,” he said with a smile.

DIY: Make Your Own Maple Syrup

Author: Lehman's

Ingredients

Maple sap (from tapped maple trees)
Maple syrup (finished product)
Maple syrup
Clean snow
1 tablespoon butter (for preventing boiling over)

Directions

Identify suitable trees in the summer by checking species and leaves. Common trees for tapping include maple varieties such as sugar, red, black, and silver maple, as well as walnut, birch, sycamore, and ironwood.
Tap trees during late winter to early spring when temperatures rise above freezing during the day and fall below freezing at night. In most regions, this occurs from February to April. Stop tapping when temperatures stay above freezing at night or buds appear.
Use the general tapping rule: one tap for trees 10 inches in diameter, two taps for 18 inches, and three taps for 24 inches.
Collect sap daily and store it until enough is gathered for boiling.
Boil sap until it reduces at a ratio of about 40:1 (40 gallons of sap yields about 1 gallon of syrup).
Continue boiling until the temperature reaches about 7°F above the boiling point of water (around 219°F at sea level). The syrup will darken and thicken as it cooks.
Optionally add a small amount of butter to prevent boiling over.
Filter the finished syrup to remove mineral deposits (niter or sugar sand).
Store syrup in glass jars. It does not require refrigeration until opened, then keep it in a cool, dark place or freeze for longer storage.
Bring maple syrup to a boil over medium-high heat in a saucepan.
Stir until the temperature reaches 235°F and the syrup thickens slightly.
Remove from heat.
Pack clean snow into a large bowl.
Drizzle a small amount of syrup onto the snow to test consistency; if it holds shape and does not sink in too deeply, it is ready.
Slowly drizzle the hot syrup over the snow to create designs.
Allow it to cool and harden.
Remove from snow and place on wax paper before serving.