Got a maple tree? Make your own syrup! Our family started making our own syrup when our kids were very small and it’s grown into a tradition that we all love and look forward to this time of year. 

 

It anchors us in the turning wheel of the seasons through the end of winter and the cusp of spring. It reminds us that humans have had a deep bond with maple trees, going back at least hundreds of years to the original inhabitants of this continent. The sugaring process develops within us a kinship with these trees that reminds us of our roles as guardians of this beautiful planet.

It’s a fairly simple process of collecting the slightly sweet, watery sap of maple trees and boiling it down until the water is nearly gone, and it’s a gloriously sweet, sticky syrup. You can purchase kits that include spiles and tubing to collect the sap.

For boiling, the setup can be as simple or complex as you like, depending on the volume of sap you collect. It takes roughly 40 gallons of sap to yield 1 gallon of syrup! We’ve built DIY evaporators in the past, but this year, we opted for an electric convection burner running outside.

One of the gifts of this process is that it must be done outside (it creates way too much sticky steam to be kept indoors), thus allowing you to enjoy outdoor time in a season when we would normally stay inside.

But obviously, the main gift is the golden syrup--which somehow tastes even more delicious than store-bought maple syrup. Maybe it's the love, care, and effort you put into making it, or the connection to the land and trees that so generously provided it. In any case, the rewards are sweet.