If you are like us, raised on fake maple syrup (flavored and colored corn syrup) you won’t be able to get enough real maple syrup.
Who says you can’t make maple syrup in IL? Although it’s true 80% of the world’s pure maple syrup is produced in Canada, it is possible to collect sap from maple trees as far south as Northern Georgia
Sap flows in our area, typically, from Feb 1- April 1
The cold night and warm days trigger sap flow
Sap is collected with buckets hung on tree taps
Large trees can handle up to 3 buckets each
The hole where a tap is inserted is 5/16” wide and 2” deep
Trees are tapped at approximately 25 years of age and/or 10 inches in diameter
We primarily tap Sugar Maples on our property, but any Maple variety will produce sap that can be boiled into syrup
Collecting sap doesn’t hurt the trees
Only a small fraction of the trees sap is collected and boiled into syrup.
Raw maple sap looks like water.
The sugar content ranges from 1% to 3%, depending on several factors.
Sap is collected, chilled, and boiled each weekend
It takes and average of 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup
Boiling down the syrup (with a wood fired evaporator of course) removes water and concentrates the sugar
When the concentration is high enough (tests at 67% sugar) the syrup is ready to be drawn off, filtered, and bottled
Absolutely nothing is added to the sap or syrup
It’s an interesting process. We welcome you to stop by and see the taps and boiling process close up some weekend.
Bring the kids!
Bill and Bobbi Jo have produced the following quantities of maple syrup each year
