This past weekend I went to New Hampshire to visit some friends who have an incredible maple syrup making operation. As we drove up to their house you could see a web of plastic tubing through the woods, connecting the maple trees, and routing sap to a huge collection tank. From the collection tank the sap gets trucked up to the sugar house where it starts its journey to becoming delicious syrup.
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| The sugar house in operation, all of the steam venting is from evaporation of water from the sap |
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| Birdseye view of the massive evaporation tank, before the boiling begins |
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| The boiling begins, with fire fueled with lots of dry wood |
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| The syrup makes its way through different chambers as it condenses |
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| Then it’s off to the stovetop to be finished. From here samples are checked during the final boil to make sure the syrup has reached the correct density (i.e. sugar content) |
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| A sample is retained of each batch produced, and the batch is graded based on its color compared to a grading kit |
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| The syrup is bottled and packaged. We ended up buying a whole case of 350 ml bottles (from a batch made on 3/10). They’ll make perfect gifts throughout the year! |
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| Certified organic by the state of NH, this maple syrup is one of nature’s tastiest sweeteners. |
The whole process was fascinating, and faster than I had imagined (I think the high volume evaporator makes a big difference). To top off the whole experience we had freshly made waffles topped with freshly made syrup (so good I had two!).
While different tree sap can be used to make syrup (including Birch and more commonly Red Maples) it is sap from the famous Sugar Maple that contains the most sugar and is the best known for making this delicious and distinctly New England product.
You can check out the NH Maple Producers website to learn more about the process and find a sugar house to visit.
