On the cusp of spring, closer to winter, across a broad swath of northern North America, maple trees are being tapped for sap. Quebec, Canada is the highest producer of maple syrup, followed by the state of Vermont, a product that is unique to this continent.
The sugar maple or Acer saccharum is not the only maple that produces sweet sap, but the one with the highest sugar content. Occasionally I have icicles where sapsuckers have drilled into my tree, and these are mildly sweet, which is a nice treat on a cold day. The southern most regions of maple syrup production are in the mountains of West Virginia and Virginia with a Maple Syrup Festival in Monterey, Virginia. This year's dates are March 9-10 and 16-17.
The flow of sap relies on two events, nights below 32 degrees followed by a day of 40 degrees or more. The entire process ends when freezing nights stop, so February and early March are the only months for maple sap harvests. Naturally there is a longer freeze cycle in northern climates, where the harvest is extended. Either way, production will vary from year to year, region to region.
Historically the trees were tapped with metal spouts that held a bucket. Each large tree can hold numerous buckets and be repeatedly tapped. The tree will heal and seal over past drill sites over the course of a year. Modern collecting uses tubes that connect the trees and flow with gravity or incorporate a vacuum to speed up the process.
The raw sap is 98% water, which is boiled off, the steam escaping through open roofs in sugar shacks. To avoid burning, more sap is gradually added in large vats which are heated with wood fires that burn day and night. The process is labor and time intensive with a goal of 6% sugar content.
In recent years a process has been developed which separates water from sugar by forcing the sap through filters with high pressure, reducing the amount of liquid to boil down. Both time and wood for fires are reduced, with the extra water often diverted and stored in tanks for alternative uses.
Outside of Monterey, Virginia in the small town of Hightown there is a sugar camp, the Rexrode's Sugar Orchard. Home to a long line of Rexrodes, my husband's uncle ran the operation until he passed and it is now operated by a grandson. The maple trees are many and very old, 200 to 250 years old, highlighted in the book "Remarkable Trees of Virginia". If you visit, it's an uphill climb from Monterey, the hills are steep, the landscape beautiful. Coined "Virginia's Little Switzerland", it’s been said that settlers thought it looked like home and decided to stay. Conventional agriculture is challenging, most farmers raise sheep with some cattle and/or turkeys.
In the sugar shacks it's warm and steamy. Large vats filled with sap boil away; the vats on in the Rexrode Sugar Orchard produce 9 gallons of maple syrup each. Rarely enough for the surge of visitors which also come for the concentrated maple sugar candy, which is left in the bottom of the vat once the liquid is removed. They called them clinkers, which is probably a local term because I find no mention of them on the internet. In my case, clinkers don't make it home, so tasty and delicious, they are consumed with delight.
Very interesting to read about the process and I will have to visit Monterey, VA sometime! Thank you so much for sharing!
Posted by: Kirsten | 02/22/2019 at 12:53 PM