Ever wonder how syrup is made or where it comes from? I am taking you on a syruping excursion! Follow me up North for a lesson on making this sticky goodness.
It’s a romantic idea – spring break.
In my mind I see people lying on a beach in the southern part of the U.S, taking in the rays, and sipping on a cold drink. In the real world however, for those who can’t afford plane tickets, have to help with the family business, or who prefer being with their family, they go back home. In my case, spring break was spent in Northern Wisconsin where the snow didn’t budge even if the temperature rose above 32 degrees. It was a little heartbreaking missing out on some sunny, 75-degree weather that my friends were enjoying, but I had just as much fun in my Carhartt jacket and rubber boots.
On a Thursday afternoon...
This rural girl who has been living in Madison for two years, bundled up and went with her dad even farther north of our home to help my grandparents collect sap from their trees. It's not a huge operation – only about 85 trees – but it's a lot for two retired folks to be trudging through the mud and snow every day. My grandparents have collected sap since my dad was little – over 45 years with some breaks – while they were also full-time dairy farmers. They don’t sell the finished product, they use it themselves or gift it to friends and family.
Two John Deere Gators are loaded up with five-gallon buckets, equipped with two large milk cans, and driven into the woods. From tree to tree, sap bags resting on tree taps are dumped into the five-gallon buckets. When the buckets are full, they’re dumped into the milk cans that are strapped down tightly to the ATV. The milk cans have a paper strainer at the top to filter out bugs, dirt, or pieces of bark. When both milk cans are full it’s off to the shed to unload the water-like bounty.
My crafty grandfather made the process easier by hooking up a hose to a sump pump so that they wouldn’t have to pour any heavy milk cans of sap; they’d just pump it from the cans to the sap vat. Then, he made an old cattle tank into the heat source by cutting out a door and putting in hinges. That way, he could sit in his chair, load it with wood that was quartered next to him, light the fire while the sap vat was already on top, close the door, and relax.
When the sap is boiled down, Gramma hauls it into the house. The ratio of sap to syrup is 40 to 1: so, you'd need 40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup or 10 gallons to 1 quart. Gramma strains the reduced sap through a thick cloth that takes out fine sand and other elements that the tree has taken up with the ground water. After the sap has strained, she boils it over the stove until her thermometer floats, which means the syrup has reached 219 degrees. Finally, she pours the syrup into jars and seals them with a hot lid.
Pancakes anyone?
But syrup isn’t just for pancakes, it’s a great ice cream topping, coffee sweetener, or a sweet tooth fix – swallow a spoonful. For those who are looking for healthier alternatives to sugar, try using it as a sweetener in baking.
I hope you enjoyed this syruping excursion and learned a thing or two. I encourage everyone to travel - even to the countryside or backwoods - to gain some new experiences and make memories. I also encourage everyone to hang out with your grandparents because they can teach us so much about life, love, and happiness.
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