Making Maple Syrup

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What is Maple Syrup?


One of my earliest memories is of helping my grandfather to tap trees and then collect the maple sap during sugaring season.

When I was little there were huge Maple Trees growing on either side of the road. My grandfather explained that the number of buckets that could be hung on a tree depended on the age of the tree and the circumference of the trunk. He would look at a tree and say That's a two bucket tree or that's a three bucket tree. Only the very old, exceptionally large trees were five or six bucket trees.

Sing about boiling the sap, do some leaf rubbings and learn how to turn maple syrup into maple candy. It's sugaring time! Come learn about making Maple Syrup...

Photo Credit: antique "spile" or "spout"
used to tap maple syrup from maple trees

From Anujpradhan 2006.

How to Tap a Maple Tree

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Which Tree is the Maple Tree?

Identify Maple Trees

Potential candidates for sap collectionSpringtime Maple Tree

Photo Credit: Identify Sugar Maple Trees in Autumn
on Flickr, Creative Commons.
Photo Credit: Buckets on the Sugar Maple Tree
on Flickr, Creative Commons.



Can you tell the difference between various types of maple trees? Did you know that there are different kinds?

Many times people go out in the spring to tap a maple tree but can't identify which one is an actual Sugar Maple.
How to Identify Maple trees
The drawings of the various maple leaves and their seeds can be turned into a Concentration or Go Fish Game which is fun for the whole family.

Red Maple
Norway Maple
Sugar Maple
Silver Maple
Black Maple

Be sure to look carefully at the bark and the shape of the tree without the leaves. In the spring, when it's time to tap the trees, there will be no leaves to help you identify the Sugar Maple Trees. Knowing what the bark and general shape of a Sugar Maple will assure that you are indeed tapping a Sugar Maple.

The Sap is Running

Drip, Drip Drip...

Watch the maple sap run out the spicket into the bucket.

This very short video brings back the sounds of spring as the sap in the maple trees run out the spicket and drop into the bucket.

It takes 40 gallons of sap to make a gallon of syrup. I wonder how many drops that is?
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Sugaring Off in 1856

Boiling Down the Maple Syrup in the 19th Century

American Forest Scene, Maple Sugaring, 1856

American Forest Scene, Maple Sugaring, 1856
Currier & Ives
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There is nothing sweeter in the early spring than the smell of sap boiling down to make maple syrup, maple sugar and maple candy.

Farmers all over New England boiled down the sap to provide their families with sugar for the whole year.

As a young child, I helped my grandfather tap trees and when the sap had boiled down enough my grandmother showed me how to stir it to make maple candy just the way the children in this picture did long ago.

My father still make maple syrup each year and we enjoy each and every drop.

Garner Rix made Maple Syrup

Maple Syrup has been made by Generations of Vermonters

When Garner Rix and his family moved to Vermont in the late 18th century, they depended on maple sugar production in order to sweeten their drinks and food. Cane sugar was too expensive and usually unavailable.
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“Bubble bubble bubble bubble bubble goes the pan,
Furnish better music for the season if you can...”

Boiling Down the Sap

Maple Sap must be boiled down to make Maple Syrup

Traditional Maple Syrup "Boil Down"
Every year in February, Colvin Run Mill in Falls Church, Virginia, holds it's annual Maple Syrup Boil-Down....

Watch the step-by-step process to make maple syrup, from tapping trees in the park for their sap, to boiling it over an open fire.

Maple Sweet

Maple Syrup Song

I remember singing this song as a child. Songs like these are still passed on from generation to generation while dads boil the syrup and their children come along to help.
Maple Sweet
The chorus goes:

Bubble bubble bubble bubble bubble goes the pan,
Furnish better music for the season if you can,
See the golden billows,
Watch their ebb and flow,
Sweeter joys indeed we sugarmaker's know...


This song was written by Perrin Batchelder Fisk from Warren, Vt in 1837
Maple Sweet by P B Fisk
Discussion about Perrin Batchelder Fisk and the Maple Sweet Song.
Maple Sweet Lyrics and Coloring Page
Sing thw Maple Sweet song by Perrin Batchelder Fisk while coloring a picture of pancakes and a sugarhouse.

Maple Syrup Grades

How Much Maple Flavor do you Want?

Grades of Maple Syrup

Photo Credit: Maple Syrup Grades/a>
on Flickr, Creative Commons.



Maple Syrup comes in different intensities from Fancy to Dark Amber. The lighter shades are more delicate in flavor and are traditionally more expensive. The are just what you want when you are looking for sweetness but not the maple flavor.

Dark Amber is like molasses. It has a deep rich flavor that is just right for cooking but may be a little intense for pancakes.

My personal favorite is Amber. It has just the right amount of flavor for pancakes, waffles or vanilla ice cream. Be sure to lick the plate when you are finished.
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Is there an alternative to Maple Syrup?

The Great Maple Syrup Debate:

What do you put on your pancakes?

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100% Pure Vermont Maple Syrup

miaponzo says:

NO WAY... fake just doesn't cut it!

Linda says:

I prefer maple syrup. My mother used to put cream and sugar on her last pancake when we had a pancake supper. She called that her dessert.

nancycarol says:

Maple syrup is the best! On my pancakes, french toast, whatever, it's the best!

maplesyrup says:

Maple Syrup all the way!

sheilamarie says:

No contest!

What else is there?

CathyLou says:

I put sprinkle sugar on my pancakes then squeeze a little lemon juice on them. Delicious!

ElizabethJeanAllen says:

I like maple syrup, but I grew up in the midwest. It's corn syrup for me.

TheWhistler says:

I'm not crazy about Maple Syrup I prefer Corn Syrup.

 
view all 15 comments

M is for Maple Syrup

M Is For Maple Syrup: A Vermont Alphabet (Discover America State By State. Alphabet Series)



Beautifully illustrated with simple text, large print and few words per page, M is for Maple Syrup is an ideal book for story hour, bedtime stories or as a beginning reader. A smaller, non-rhyming text is written for older children.

Learn about the unique flora and fauna of Vermont. L is for Lake Champlain and T is for Hermit Thrush.

View all my reviews >>

M Is For Maple Syrup: A Vermont Alphabet (Discover America State By State. Alphabet Series)

Amazon Price: $10.75 (as of 02/17/2012)Buy Now

Maple Syrup Coloring Pages

Art Poster, Sugar Maple - 27.5 x 18.75

Maple Syrup Activity Book - Cornell University
Maple Syrup Activity Book. Twenty four pages of education and activities targeting students in 3rd through 6th grade.

Product Information:
Word puzzles, find the hidden items, identification of various items, mazes, art options and more all are part of the activities all related to maple production and maple products.
New York Printables - New York Coloring Page - Sugar Maple
New York Printables - New York Coloring Page - Sugar Maple. Print the New York coloring page and color the picture.
"Welcome to our Sugarhouse" coloring book
Coloring Book about making Maple Syrup

Get your Maple Syrup here:

Square Cans of Maple Syrup

Square Cans of Maple Syrup
Buy at AllPosters.com


Maple Syrup is delicious for breakfast, lunch, dinner or anytime of day! Be sure to get the best! Vermont Maple Syrup!


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Pancakes, Waffles or Griddlecakes?

What do you pour your Maple Syrup on?

Maple Syrup or Honey Dispenser - 14 oz



Now that you have learned about Maple Syrup and have sung the Maple Sweet song, flip on over to the Pancake lens to learn the Waffle Song...
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Maple Trees along the Stone Wall

Collecting Maple Sap along the Stone Wall

Sermons in Stone: The Stone Walls of New England and New York



When I was a little girl my grandfather took me out to collect sap for making maple syrup. Some of the way we walked along the stone walls that surrounded the sugar lot. Come learn more about the Stone Walls of Vermont:
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Vermont is where the best Maple Syrup is Made!

Stay at Royalton B&B in the Heart of Maple Syrup Country!

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I'm not sure why Maple Syrup Day is celebrated in December. You might think it would be in the spring as the sap starts to run or in late winter in order to use up the last of the syrup. In any case, December is a great day for Pancakes and Waffles so pour on the syrup and celebrate!

Countdown to Maple Syrup Day!

Maple Syrup Day!: December 17, 2011

Evelyn's Hands-on Learning Blog

Butternut Mountain Farm Vermont Pure Maple Syrup, Grade A Medium Amber, 1-Quart Jug


The best way to learn about maple syrup is to try some yourself. Pour some maple syrup on your pancakes, waffles or ice cream. It's delicious.
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Come Visit Vermont

The Home of Pure Vermont Maple Syrup!


How about some blueberry muffins or pancakes dripping with Pure Vermont Maple Syrup!
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Maple Syrup Messages:

Brown Family Farm Pure Vermont Maple Syrup, 32-Ounce Jug

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About the Author of this Maple Syrup Lens:

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Let's write about Maple Syrup!

Pure Vermont Maple Syrup is the Best!

Coombs Family Farms 100% Pure Organic Maple Syrup Grade B, 32-Ounce Jug



Come write about your experiences collecting and boiling maple syrup on Wizzley, a fun and easy place to express your opinion:
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Evelyn_Saenz

My passion is teaching and finding ways to teach children in fun, hands-on, creative ways. The unit studies I make on Squidoo reflect my view that learning... more »

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Making and Eating Maple Syrup 

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How to make Maple Syrup 

Tapping the Trees for Maple Syrup

Sugaring

Amazon Price: $10.00 (as of 02/17/2012)Buy Now