Vol. I, No. 6: 1. Focus On: A Bit of Maple History ... and How-To

Learning & Education
Focus On ...
Sugaring Special: A Maple Page
A Bit of Maple History ... and How-To

A Bit of Maple History ... and How-To
With Sugaring Season Upon Us, We Thought It Might Be Instructive
to Take a Look at the History & How-To of Maple Syrup

In order to do our part to rectify that situation, we thought this month we'd Focus On a Bit of Maple History ... and How-To."

Old-Fashioned Spile {Tap}

It's probably not possible to grow up in Vermont and not know about maple syrup. But, other than the fact that it's a treat {and then some} on pancakes or waffles, or that sugar-on-snow is something to look forward to, how many of us actually know about the history of maple syrup? And as time moves along, how many of us have never actually tapped a tree and boiled some down? ...

A Brief History of Maple Syrup
Probably the most definitive work on maple syrup from a production standpoint is the North American Maple Syrup Producers Manual [NAMSPM], Bulletin 856, out of Ohio St. University. {See this month's Links to Farm & Garden On-Line for this and other maple production resources, including Proctor Maple Research out of UVM.} But it's here, too, that we can find some of the most interesting and detailed information on the history of maple syrup. According to the NAMSPM, "Maple syrup and sugar production ... is one of the few agricultural endeavors not brought to this continent by European settlers."

The Manual goes on to tell us that, of course, it was Native Americans who first produced maple syrup and, consequently, who introduced the then-new European settlers to the process. When, exactly, maple syrup first began to be produced is anybody's guess. But apparently, there is a legend about one native chief who threw his tomahawk at a maple, so that the sap ran out into a container that just happened to be sitting beneath. His wife, so the legend goes, came along and, thinking the container held water, used it to cook some venison. Needless to say, that was the beginning of it all.

According to "The History of Vermont Maple Syrup," on the Vermont Living web site, the Native American word for the syrup was " 'sinzibukwud,' which translated means, sweet buds'." According to the NAMSP Manual, the Native American process involved gashing the maple trunk and collecting the sap through small twigs or bark into a birch bark or other type of container. From there, the contents of several containers would be placed into a larger dug-out trunk and stones, heated in fires close by, would be dropped into te sap to evaporate it. A second method, seemingly easier, allowed the sap to freeze, after which the ice was discarded, leaving a thicker, sweeter sap behind.

Very early on, the production of maple syrup became part of the regular season of farming among the settlers of New England . Coming, as it does, between the gathering of fuelwood in winter and the spring planting, sugaring provided not only the sweet stuff for the table but, among larger operations with a surplus, an important item for bartering. Initially, the European immigrants used the same practice as the Native Americans. But fairly soon, a method of auguring {drilling} a hole was devised, resulting in significantly less damage to the trees. Into the hole was placed small spiles or taps, at first fashioned from hollowed-out stems of sumac or elder, but later replaced by the metal tap, from which a gathering bucket could also be hung. The augur also gave way to the brace-and-bit system, in which, to this day, a 7/16" hole is tapped to receive the collection device.

For many years, the production process of sugaring remained unchanged. With most production sugarbushes using plastic pipelines these days, the older means of gathering the syrup have all but given way. Before the pipelines, tractors and wagons with tubs were commonly used to gather the sap -- 40 gallons, or roughly 320 pounds to be hauled, for every gallon of syrup, not to mention the cord of wood to be cut, dried, stacked & burned for every 25 gallons. But even before the tractor and wagon, the most common means was the horse-drawn sleigh.

Before WW II, a new pipeline method was introduced, using metal pipe. But it was never widely adopted because of difficulties with leaks during the season, cleaning afterward, and the demanding requirement of grading {slanting} the line properly when setting up. Eventually, before the advent of the modern pipeline system, buckets gave way in some sugarbushes to a flexible bag system, which provided several advantages, including easier storage between seasons.

Today's modern plastic pipeline, as well as improvements in evaporation systems, have turned sugaring into the science it has become. In the old days, only the most experienced sugarmaker could dip his ladle or loop into the boiling sap and tell when a batch was ready to be drawn off. Now, however, the thermometer tells the story. In many sugaring operations, sap is drawn off when it reaches 7.1º F. above the boiling point of water {not 212º, but the actual boiling point for the specific day and time of sugaring}. In addition, Vermont's Grades & Standards for Maple Syrup are also more stringent than in other states.

How to Make Maple Syrup ...
Up here in the Bristol Notch, we used to tap a few trees -- maybe a couple of dozen -- every year. But it's been more than a few years now since we've done it. We used metal taps and buckets, and gathered the sap on a small sled. We'd then bring it in, a little at a time, and boil it down on our wood cookstove. ... Since most of the downstairs was exposed wood, it took up the moisture pretty readily. But lots of folks will tell you that you don't really want to be coating the inside of your place with sugar. Yet, since we were only boiling down a small amount, we never found it to be a problem.

We did have some friends in the village once, though, who decided to tap a few large maples that stood on the lot where they lived. They did pretty much the same thing, but with very different results. ... Why? Well, their walls were plaster. Not only that, but they were covered with wallpaper. Not a good combination. The amount of steam actually peeled the paper from their walls. But they were pretty good-natured about it. They said they were thinking of re-papering the walls anyway. Then they went on to cook up a great sugarin' season breakfast of pancakes all around.

If you've never tried your hand at sugaring and would like to give it a go, then check out any of these web sites. They'll give you a pretty good idea of how to go about it. Of course, if you're thinking of going into a larger production operation, then you'll want to check out this month's Links to Farm & Garden On-Line for the best info on how to do the job well.

If you would like to submit something for our Learning & Education section, don't hesitate to let us know. Simply e-mail us at learn@downstreetmagazine.com. The e-mail should contain your name, address, and a phone number where we can reach you. You may also send a copy of your proposed article. The text can either be included in the body of the e-mail, or you can send it as an attachment in just about any word processing format. If your piece is accepted, we will pay a small honorarium for your interest & your time. [See Freelancers Wanted for more details.]