Last year at this time people were tapping in my area. Not this year! We have a winter storm warning instead. I don’t think first run will be until about two weeks from now. Anyone else looking forward to doing a little (or a lot) of Sugaring? 
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What does 5 gallon of water from the sugar maple tree get in syrup? A 4 ounce jelly jar?
So, how much more reduction to get sugar?
(I enjoy drinking the sweet water…but haven’t in awhile. Any kind of maple and even several other kinds of trees will work…but just take more water as they aren’t as sweet.)
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We have only reduced to sugar once many years ago. We normally just reduce to syrup. I can’t even remember how much more the reduction was.
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My husband has been rummaging around for his bit and taps. We have multiple large maples so I think he could get a fair yield.
To quote my Uncle Jim (who has a very respectable sugar bush and attendant sugar shack), “Well, you make MAKE syrup from black walnut if you really want to. Of course, you can pave the driveway with it, after…”
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It is roughly 35 gallons sap for 1 gallon syrup. Sugar isn’t too far past syrup, but I’m not sure how you get that far without a disaster. I would guess you’d have to go with a warming device and fan rather than a fire?
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No you dont have to go with that approach. Many around here use finishing pans that are controlled by gas burners, much like a kitchen stove is. An accurate control of the heat allows sugar to be made.
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We normally start to look at tapping around valentine’s day. This year it will be a few weeks after. Ive tapped and boiled syrup as early as Martin Luther King Jr. Day before though, and as late as April 1.
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