by Karen Ellis

Created on: August 12, 2008

Mrs. Butterworth syrup is great until that first time you pull the expensive pure maple syrup off of the top shelf at the grocers. Normally, you wouldn't think of spending twice as much for the smaller bottle, but on that certain day you reminded yourself that you were an adventuresome person that could throw caution to the wind now and again. Because there is no comparison, you have splurged on pure maple syrup ever since.

Best conditions for collecting maple sap for the purpose of producing syrup are in the northeastern United states and southeastern Canada, particularly in Vermont and Quebec. The syrup is used for more than pouring over pancakes and French toast. It's combined in recipes for candy, cookies, desserts and even beer.

How Much Syrup

When embarking on the task of making maple syrup, weather it is for fun or profit, the first thing you'll need to know is how much syrup can be make from a maple tree. Because maple syrup is produced from the sap of the tree, a better questions is how much sap is needed. A taphole is created in the tree which will yield approximately 5 to 15 gallons, depending on the time of year and size of the tree. In extreme favorable conditions a taphole can produce 40 to 80 gallons of sap. A quart of maple syrup is produced from 10 gallons of sap. The three best maple trees, regarding sweetness, to tap are the Sugar Maple, Black Maple and Red Maple.

How to Tap a Maple

A tree less than 10 inches in diameter and 4 feet tall should not be tapped. Try it again next year when it's had a chance to mature a bit more. Further, no single tree should have more than 3 taps. You can find maple tapping supplies on line at sites such as maplesyrupsupplies.com or sugarbushsupplies.com.

* Maples 10 - 20 inches in diameter should have only 1 tap per tree.
* Maples 20 - 25 inches in diameter should have no more than 2 taps per tree.
* Maples 25 inches (or greater) in diameter should have no more than 3 taps per tree.

Step 1: Drilling for a standard size tap, use a sharp 7/16 inch drill bit to about 2 inches into the tree, at an upward angle. If you've tapped the maple before, do not tap a new hole closer than 2 feet below or above, nor less than 6 inches to the side of an old tap.

Step 2: Tap the spout in to the drilled hole, careful not to split the tree. It's best to tap on warmer days, this will minimize the problem of tree splitting.

Step 3: Hang a pail or container under the drilled hole. Spouts can be purchased with hooks and are the most convenient

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