The hubbub of Thanksgiving has passed and you are looking forward to the gift-giving part of the holiday season! (Or, maybe not, but you’re still participating in it. It happens! Might as well do it up.) You have an actual or aspiring backyard sugar maker in the family, and you would like to get them something they can use for their hobby maple syrup operation. Maple holiday gift giving, ho!
You are in luck! Here’s why. First, sugaring season comes swiftly on the heels of the holiday gift-giving season. So, unlike that trowel set / pressure canner / hunting rifle you’ve been eyeing for the same person, backyard sugar making tools can be used shortly after they are opened!
But you don’t know anything about sugaring? Or you don’t know much? No biggie! Got you covered. Let’s dive in!
First, decide what category your gift recipient falls into. Are they (1) an aspiring sugar maker, or (2) an amateur who has made maple syrup on their stove / grill / other self-fabricated outside contraption. Knowing the answer to this question is important, as you will see.
The list of things any amateur sugar maker needs is short and as follows:
- a drill – either cordless or brace – with a 5/16″ or 7/16″ bit
- a hammer or tapping hammer
- 5/16″ or 7/16″ “spiles” – also called “taps” (spouts that take sap from tree to container – they are available in both sizes)
- lidded buckets, sap bags, or a tubing system
- sap transportation and storage containers (food safe 5 gallon buckets and/or 55 gallon drums)
- cheesecloth
- a backyard boiler – also called “arch” – (Sapling Evaporator, DIY Seedling Evaporator, cinder-block arch with Sapling Evaporator Pan or Seedling Evaporator Pan)
- fuel (propane or wood, depending on the boiler)
- a good thermometer and maybe a refractometer or hydrometer
- small (kitchen) and/or large (outdoor) syrup filters
- syrup storage containers
If any of those items reached out and grabbed you already, awesome!
Otherwise, here are some more recommendations:
Maple Holiday Gift Giving For the Aspiring Sugar Maker
The aspiring sugar maker has always wanted to make maple syrup but hasn’t pulled the trigger yet.
Awesome! For the modestly adventurous, consider a starter kit like this one, which comes with some how-to guidance. Consider throwing in a set of food-grade 5-gallon buckets and some fancy jars for the complete package.
A Seedling Evaporator Pan over a cinder block fire (either wood or propane via a turkey fryer base or the like) would be an appropriate pan for as little as a three-tree operation.
If your aspiring sugar maker is moderately to highly adventurous, consider outfitting them for a 25-tap start instead. A DIY Seedling Evaporator, a Seedling or Sapling Evaporator Pan over a home-made wood-box, or a Sapling Evaporator will come in handy for a 25-tap operation. Everything one needs to know is in the North American Maple Syrup Producers Manual, which is also free for downloading here.
Maple Holiday Gift Giving For the Amateur Sugar Maker
More even than an aspirant, the actual-already-amateur sugar maker will appreciate a “real” pan or rig. As your budget allows, consider upgrading your loved one from that bucket-over-an-open-fire, broiling-pan-on-the-grill, inside-the-house operation by maybe adding to their metal bucket-and-spile collection (or plastic, here) and springing for a new pan or rig. The Seedling Evaporator Pan or DIY Seedling Evaporator Kit (with or without the barrel) for up to 30 taps, the Sapling Evaporator Pan or Sapling Evaporator for up to 50.
Looking for something more modestly priced? How about some fancy syrup containers for their next harvest, or a good maple read (I can not recommend The Maple Sugar Book often enough) for off-season reflection on a favorite hobby? Or consider a set of 5-gallon sap storage containers, handy for storing sap between weekend boils.
Whatever you decide, any purchase from us allows you access to the (unofficial) Vermont Evaporator Company Sugaring Hotline (the company phone), which, our customers can tell you, is open at all times of the day and night for sugaring urgencies and emergencies. Thanks for reading, and please be in touch if you need any additional maple-equipment gifting help! We love to talk sugaring. 🙂