We took some time away from the farm today and learned about maple production.
Collecting maple sap is
a green, environmentally sustainable process that can be enjoyed by anyone with
a healthy, mature maple tree.
We learned there are four main parts to starting and
getting into the process.
The first step we learned about was preparation: Identifying
your maple trees and gathering equipment needed to tap the trees.
Next step is
the tapping of the trees. This is where most of our tours started today showing
us the maple taped trees. The process of sap collection nowadays is collected with tubing. But you
will found some hobbies using hanging buckets with attached lids.
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| They use old milk balk tanks. |
The next step is the collecting the sap and making syrup. They showed us the transfer from storage
containers.Then the processing sap into maple syrup. Maple sugaring has gone more technology nowadays: a vacuum pump
for each of the main pipelines, reverse osmosis systems, a steam boiler,
various hi-tech syrup filters. I was impressed by the boiler systems size.
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| boiler system |
The last step is cleaning
up. The taps have to be removed from the trees and buckets and lids from trees,
cleaning of all the equipment is done and everything is stored from next year.
This part takes about April at the end of the season.
It seems to me it’s great
work for a small amount of a great product. I sure loved the pancake breakfast
we got with the fresh maple syrup. At the end of our tour we all got to go on a horse draw
wagon.
What a great end of a family fun day.
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