Maple sugaring is sweet fun

Spring temperatures are right for maple trees to be flush with their sugary sap. Used to cure meats, as an anesthetic and a breakfast table staple, maple sap has been collected and used by hundreds of generations.

The process of collecting during the Sugar Moon season remains basic and timeless:

• Tap a tree – Most maple trees produce clear “sweet water” sap, but sugar maples have a higher sugar content. Traditionally, the spout called a spile was wooden, but modern, metal spiles are available. The size of the tree will determine the number of taps.

• Be a bucket filler – The weather determines how fast the sap runs. After a bucket is filled, the sap is strained to remove debris and carefully boiled until it becomes syrup.

• Cool and enjoy – The all-natural sweetener is delicious topping off a pancake or waffle or on its own as a sweet treat.

Sweet facts about maple syrup

• Depending on environmental conditions, one maple tree can produce 6-10 gallons of sap per season.

• Sap straight from the tree is about 98% water and only about 2% sugar.

• One gallon of syrup requires about 40 gallons of sap.

• A maple tree should be around 45 years old before being tapped. The tree can produce sap for 100 years.

• Michigan typically is sixth in the nation for syrup production.

• Michigan’s neighbor, Canada, is the largest producer of maple products in the world, exporting 75 percent of the world’s supply.

• Sap collection ends when tree buds begin to open.