You can judge doneness by taste alone or by measuring temperature.Sap can burn easily when it is close to being done, so when it tastes quite sweet, bring the pan indoors to finish carefully on the stove Add additional sap as level drops (add sap slowly in order not to kill the boil).Fill pan with sap and heat to a rolling boil (some people filter the sap first).Stainless steel or cast iron flat bottom pans or large diameter kettles are best. Using wood or propane heat outdoors is preferred. If the boiling-down is done indoors, you will have 42 litres of steam to deal with. At 2% sugar it will take about 43 litres of sap to make one litre of syrup. Sap is about 98% water, and boiling causes evaporation, which reduces it to syrup. You may want to pull a spile after several weeks and make sure wood or sugar is not plugging up the spile. Some spiles have a small hole that can clog up and stop the flow. Once the hole is drilled, drive the spile in place gently with a hammer to prevent leakage. A flat bit can clog the “vessels†of the hole, reducing sap flow. When drilling the hole you should use a twist bit as opposed to a flat (speed) bit. After the spile is removed it will take about a year for the hole to fill over with new wood. Usually you will have to drill a new hole nearby after about 4 to 5 weeks. You may find that your holes will dry up before you want them too. If you drill too deep you may hit heartwood and decay.ĭrilling the hole wounds the tree and the tree will heal the wound. The hole is drilled 2 inches to 2.5 inches deep at a slight upward angle. Tap holes are more productive if drilled on days when the sap is flowing. ![]() Others say to work around the tree and slightly higher with each new hole (assuming you tap the same tree year after year). Some folks recommend that you tap on the sunny side and directly under a large branch. Ideally you want to tap at a convenient height. Most commercial spiles are designed for a 7/16 inch hole. Sugar content can be measured with a hydrometer ($15) or brix refractometer ($80 to $200). Our western sap ranges from 1% to 4% sugar and averages 2%, whereas the eastern sugar maples average just under 3% sugar. Back East, cold nights followed by warm afternoons give the best flow. On the West Coast, sap often flows a day before or after a weather change. Sap flows are normally sweetest in January and February. ![]() Tapping can be done once the leaves are off the tree and until buds are about to open (November through early March). ![]() Hosted by the BC Forest Discovery Centre and the Vancouver Island Sapsuckers. For a look at a past year's event, visit Cowichan Today. The festival is open to the public on the first Saturday & Sunday of February. Join us at the BC Forest Discovery Centre in Duncan, BC for a fun filled two days of tapping, syrup making, syrup tasting, great music and tasty treats.
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