This video shows the process of tapping maple trees and turning the sap into maple syrup.
Fun fact: it takes 44 gallons of sap to make one gallon of maple syrup. Or about fifteen gallons to make a 32oz Costco-sized bottle.
First, you drill a 3/8th inch hole into a sugar maple tree. Look for blemishes in the tree above where the hole will be drilled. Dry to avoid drinking below any damage or blemish on the tree.
Drill at an upward angle with a depth of 1.5” into the tree. Now lightly tap a stainless steel spile into the tree. Once you see the sap dripping, add food-grade tubing to the end of the spile and run it into a food-grade bucket.
Depending on how heavy the sap flow is, you’ll need to empty a five-gallon bucket every 12-48 hours. Pour the sap through a filter into a big pot and start boiling the sap. It takes around 15 hours to boil 15 gallons of sap into syrup.
Once the temperature reaches 219.5 degrees Fahrenheit, remove the pot from the heat.
Now you have 100% pure maple syrup.
It’s absolutely delicious!
You can also keep boiling the sap down to make maple sugar.
It is a long process, but it was a blast for our family to do together.
