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Sweet Mother Nature - Part One

© N. Lou Lyons

Winter is still here, officially, and night temperatures continue to reach below freezing while daytime temperatures start to warm above the 32 degree mark. Along with these changing temperatures, deep within the earth, a rather remarkable process begins in Pennsylvania. Ideal conditions usually start about the time we celebrate Valentines Day. Before too long, nature will have provided enough of the necessary resources to make some very sweet Valentines gifts.

Maple syrup may not be a typical Valentines Day present but it is delicious enough to give to your sweetheart. Uniquely flavorful describes the products made from the sap of the Sugar Maple Acer saccharum tree.

Black and red maple trees also produce sweet sap, but the sugar maple reigns supreme for several reasons. One, the sap of the sugar maple is much sweeter than other maple trees. Also, the sugar maple breaks bud later in the season than the red maple. Once a tree breaks bud, sap looses flavor for production.

Regardless, the entire process begins in the cold month of February as daytime temperatures rise well above the freezing temperatures of night. This is when sap begins to flow. As the days warm up, sap flows upward from the roots of the tree to nourish the limbs that will eventually produce buds and leaves. At night, as the temperature falls, the sap flows back down. It is during this time that trees are tapped.

Holes are drilled into the tree and a spout is placed in the hole. Buckets are than added to catch the sap as it flows. Trees should be at least ten inches in diameter. Taps are placed about three feet above the ground. Sap should be collected once a day. The sap is then filtered and stored in clean containers until the boiling process begins. The sap should be boiled as soon as possible after collecting from the trees.

Like tapping the tree and gathering the sap, boiling is an art in itself. Specific requirements create the perfect syrup.

Pennsylvania produced 69,000 gallons of maple syrup in 2001. This may not seem like a lot of pancake topping, but it takes about 15-20 gallons of sap to make 1/2 gallon of maple syrup. Once you taste the rich, flavorful syrup made from one of Pennsylvania's producers, you may never go back to store bought again.

Next month we will take a more in depth, behind the scenes look at the maple syrup happenings here in Pennsylvania. Till then, enjoy some sweet treats from Pennsylvania.