Westmoreland Sanctuary Shows How to Make Syrup

Several children and parents gathered Sunday at the Westmoreland Sanctuary to see how maple syrup is made.

Kids were excited to see Adam Zorn, a naturalist at the Bedford sanctuary, take a drill to several maple trees on the property and tap them for pure sap, and some even gave it a taste.

With less than a month left of winter, the ideal season for drilling maple trees and collecting their sap is approaching. Zorn said that good conditions are where temperatures are warm during the day – anywhere above 40 degrees – but freezing at night. This allows for the cells making up the tree's sap wood layer to expand with warm weather, causing sap to rise upward inside the tree during the daytime. In combination with nighttime constriction of the sap due to colder weather, this makes it easy for collection. By spring, ideal conditions will pass, as the sap is used by trees to provide energy for growing and generating leaves.

Typically during the afternoon, with clusters of giddy kids standing by his side as their parents looked on, Zorn would start tapping the trees with a squeaky, hand-powered crank drill, even giving them a shot at trying it in some cases. Were tree holes were opened, Zorn would then let out puffs to blow away excess wood shavings stuck around the incisions. Next, Zorn would bring out small metal devices called spiles, which are hammered into the holes to let the sap drip out and downward. Finally, Zorn would bring out aluminum buckets and hook them to the spiles, leaving them to accumulate fresh sap, with lids placed on top to limit debris collection.

Kids who had a chance to witness the process were excited.

"It was awesome. It was great," said Charlotte Braun, a 6-year-old girl from Scarsdale. Her brother, Shauny, also 6, was relatively laconic, preferring the sap's taste. Their mother Sheryl, for full disclosure, used to contribute to our sister site, Scarsdale Patch by gathering business information for the site.

Theresa Gucciardo-Perry, Cortlandt Manor, said it was "extremely interesting" to see the joy on the faces of her twin sons, John and David Perry, 6.

"It was hard and fun," said John Perry in describing what it was like.

"Good," David Perry said in describing the experience.

When asked to describe what it's like to teach about how syrup is created, Zorn said he enjoys doing it, and that it is something people can do at home.

"It's not something that has to stay here at the sanctuary, it's not specific to just here," he said. "Anyone with maple trees can do exactly what we did today, so it's fun to be able to give people that opportunity."

Here is some advice and tips for making your own maple syrup, courtesy of Zorn and a collection of facts presented by the sanctuary as a sheet:

-       The best time to tap trees is around late February to early March, which is when you get the necessary temperature fluctuations. Zorn says that this peaks during the first week of March.

-       Trees should be at least 12 inches in diameter to tap. Using a smaller tree won't work and could endanger its health. One additional tap has to be done for each following 12 inches.

-       For drilling into a tree, use a 7/16 inch drill bit. A hand drill, battery-powered or electric drill are each sufficient. You should drill about three inches into the tree. The sheet provided suggests three inches into its south side at a slight upward angle, but Zorn said to people that doing it on the sunny side is preferable and easier, although it can be done on a side covered by a shadow.

-       Typically you can get 10 to 15 gallons of sap from each tap of the tree. The process of creating syrup from sap is done by boiling away most of its contents – mainly water – and leaving a dark-brown substance that is 65 percent sugar. The process is fairly intensive. Zorn says that it takes roughly 40 gallons of sap to make just one gallon of syrup, with the other 39 being boiled away.

-       There are various ways to boil sap. Zorn says that the sanctuary does it over open air with 25-gallon kettles. At home, it can be done in backyard pits, charcoal or gas stoves. It can be done inside, too, but according to Zorn it's better to do it outside because it will evaporate better.

-       For collected, sap must be retrieved daily when it is running from the tree. It can also be stored for about a week in a large container, as long as it's in a cool, dark environment. The sap is still good if it is crystal clear. If it appears cloudy then it has spoiled, said Zorn. Debris, such as bugs, can also get caught in the sap buckets that hang from the trees, but Zorn says you can just pick it out and it will be safe to consume after it's boiled into syrup, killing germs.

-       The most common types of maple trees in this area are sugar maple and red maple, Zorn said. Less common, but still usable, are silver maple trees, a variety often used in landscaping. According to Zorn, you can tell what type of tree to look for in the absence of leaves by its bark and branches, Sugar, red and silver maples have what are called "opposite branches," where he says they grow off of the main stem opposite each other.

-       In boiling sap into syrup, it should be done until it reaches 219 degrees. Syrup also has grittiness, and must be strained out. The Sanctuary recommends using several layers of cloth to filter the syrup while it is hot.