Sugaring for Beginners

Maple trees circulate water from their roots into their branches which mixes with sugar produced in the tree’s leaves during the process of photosynthesis. This circulation creates what we refer to as sap.

During early spring, warm days and cool nights change the maple tree’s internal pressure and sap escapes through natural leaks or man-made taps. Sap is collected from the tree and immediately boiled to evaporate the water. What’s left behind is homemade maple syrup.

How to get started in the art of sugaring?

 

trees and tap buckets

Tap Maple Trees

  • All native maple trees can be tapped for sap.
  • Tapping a maple tree requires limited tools.
  • A tapped maple has the potential to produce between 10-20 gallons of sap.
    You need about 40-60 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of maple syrup.

person tapping tree

Collect Sap

  • One tap will produce about 1 gallon of sap a day or 8-10 total in the season.
  • Buckets & covers, water jugs or any food grade container can be used to collect the sap.
  • Tubing can be used instead of buckets. Saves lots of time!
  • Gather sap daily and start boiling when you can.
  • Treat sap like milk – it will spoil.

Boil and Evaporate

  • Filter sap before pouring into the stainless-steel Sapling pan.
  • The Sapling evaporator pan should be filled to about a 2-inch depth.
  • Start your fire, sit back, relax, and watch the water evaporate from the sap.
  • More sap should be added gradually as the sap level drops in the pan.
  • While spending time with your friends and family, watch your sap boil down to sweet maple syrup!

Watch our simple setup video and the Sapling in action!

Learn more about assembling your Sapling by downloading this PDF.

We exercise great care during the manufacturing and packing processes to facilitate trouble-free assembly. Always use extreme care when moving or loading/unloading your Vermont Evaporator product, as the product is heavy and includes many metal parts. You can easily follow the assembly instructions in the included manual or download the printable online PDF manual.