Produced by
Patti Moreno
Contributor to:
How to Make Maple Syrup
Today I am visiting with Uncle Ted who has been making syrup all of his life, because his father did when he was growing up. Some traditions are hard to break.
When I arrive, Uncle Ted already has a maple tree tapped and the sap is already dripping slowly into the bucket. He says this tree has been tapped for about a week and it is still dripping sap. Uncle Ted lets me put in another spout and lets me use the crank to get the tap securely into the tree.
Uncle Ted lets me taste some of the amazing sap that is already in the existing bucket. It tastes amazing! It reminds me of the sugar cane which reminds me of Puerto Rico.
Ever wonder why syrup is so expensive? It literally takes about 40 gallons of sap from a sugar maple to make one gallon of syrup. You can tap other kinds of Maple trees, but you will have to collect more than 40 gallons for one gallon of syrup becuase the sugar concentration is much lower. Sap from a sugar maple has the highest sugar concentration.
Once the sap bucket is filled, Uncle Ted shows us the next step, boiling the sap. As the sap boils and reduces, it turns thick and brown. It transforms into Maple Syrup. Then, it's ready to do what it does best smother pancakes and waffles and make mornings unforgettable. Yummmm.
