The rooftops are dripping now. The snow that first blanketed the house back in December melts away leaving a sloppy mess. March is here, and the natural world teeters back and forth between winter and spring, confusing and encouraging all of us who are anxious for things like grass, open lakes, and short sleeves.

And just like Mother Nature, many of us are in between. The northwoods is a place that offers outdoor opportunities most every day But March; March is hard. As the snow disappears so do many of our favorite wintertime activities, leaving many hands idle, waiting for the seasonal shift. I don't do well with idle hands, and I feel an obligation to make the most of the days. By this point in the year I've searched out a way to stay busy outside, and maybe make life just a little bit....sweeter.

Something important happens on the edge of winter and spring, and it offers an excellent opportunity to engage yourself and your family with the woods. The maple trees are just as anxious as we are to get on with the growing season, and as the temperatures fluctuate above and below the freezing point the maples start preparing.

The science behind this can get a little confusing, but here's a basic breakdown of what's happening in the trees. Sap is the lifeblood of a tree, full of sugars and nutrients that the tree is trying to get to its buds in the spring. As the sun warms the tree it builds pressure inside, causing the sap to flow out of any hole or wound found on a tree trunk and its branches. As the night time temperatures dip below freezing once again the tree switches gears and the pressure changes to suction, which the tree uses to draw much needed moisture out of the ground, thus replenishing the sap. This process continues until temperatures warm to the point that the tree starts to bud. The date that this occurs can vary greatly, but mid-March through early April is usually the best window. This year it may even be a bit earlier. It may be right now in fact.

Collecting maple sap, or "Sugarbushing" is not new. In fact, people have been doing this for hundreds of years. Anishinaabe (Native Americans) originated this tradition on this very land. Here is a source on a popular Nanaboozho folklore about how Ojibwe people got maple syrup.

Tapping maples might be considered a fading art, but there has been a recent revival in interest. I bet many of you reading this have a memory of hanging a bucket off of a tree as a youngster, and this year might be the perfect time to revisit your memories, and maybe introduce a kid to this fun and easy outdoor hobby.

How to Tap Maples

Find a maple tree.

Most of us know by now which trees in our yard are maples since their responsibility for some our most beautiful fall colors, but if you don't know how to identify them, the key is in the buds. Of all our deciduous trees, the maple seems the most anxious for spring. If you look at the tips of the branches of a maple you will see over sized buds rosy in color. That's a dead giveaway that you have found the right tree. As a general rule, you should look for maples that are at least ten inches in diameter. Bigger trees will produce more sap, and tapping any tree less than ten inches in diameter could damage the tree.

Drill a hole.

When you find a good candidate, use a power drill to make a small hole in the tree approximately two feet from the ground. Drill the hole at a slightly upward angle about three inches deep.

Insert a spile.

A spile is a small tube made of plastic or steel that you insert into the hole and lightly tap into place using a wooden mallet. You then need to figure a way to collect the dripping sap.

Attach a hose and bucket.

There are many different options out there, but the simplest and cheapest is to attach a clean milk jug or ice cream pale so it hangs just below the spile. Figuring out the best system for you is part of the fun. You can experiment with short pieces of hose and different types of jugs or pales until you find what works best. We use 3-5 gallon buckets with a hole drilled into the top of the lid for the hose to drop through.

Check on your sap.

Make sure to check the jugs each day. You will be surprised how much sap you can collect from a single tree. Some days the sap runs surprisingly fast, and some days surprisingly slow. The mystery, hands-on research, and discovery is all part of the fun. Bring the family and enjoy spring!

Store your sap.

You then need a way to store the sap until you boil it down into syrup. We use our 3-5 gallon buckets with lids (duct-tape the hole closed) and store them in the garage to keep the cool. The sap can spoil if not kept cool.

Boil sap to syrup.

When you have collected a few gallons it's time to boil the sap. The ratio from sap to syrup is about 40:1 depending on the sugar content. This means you need a fair amount of sap before it's worth your time to start the boiling process. Also keep in mind that it takes a lot of energy to boil down that much sap. We start the process by placing a large boiling pan over an open fire, using blocks to form a stand for the pan.

This is my favorite part of the process. It offers up a great excuse to sit around a campfire for a few days, but you can also use a propane burner. A local Ojibwe elder advised us that wood-fired is the only way to go for enjoyment of the process and for smokey flavor.

Keep adding sap to the pan as the water boils away. It's important to have an outside location for this part of the process, regardless if you use propane or wood for a fuel source. The evaporated sap will make everything in your kitchen sticky if you do the whole process inside. This will take several hours, so make sure you have a good chunk of time set aside to boil the sap down.

Initial filter.

Eventually the sap will start to turn a light brown and thicken slightly. At this point I remove the sap from the fire and strain it through cheesecloth into a pot.

End of boiling.

To finish the boiling process I cook the sap over an electric or propane burner so I can better control the temperature. You can also use your stovetop at this point. When the sap reaches 219 degrees Fahrenheit it has become syrup. We like to stop just a hair before 219 (217-218) so that when you reheat your syrup it’s perfect. You can use a candy thermometer to better monitor the temperature.

Filter your final product.

When the syrup is finished, filter it through cheesecloth one more time and place in small mason jars. Store the syrup in the refrigerator, and don't forget to share some with your neighbors.

The great thing about making maple syrup is you can make the operation as small or as big as you choose. For the first year, just try tapping a few trees in the yard, and if you enjoy the process you can make plans for a bigger operation next year. And mistakes are okay. I've made them all, from tapping an ash tree to boiling the sap too much. But there is no harm done. As long as you take care about which trees you are tapping and how you do it, they are no worse for wear. The same tree can be tapped the following year, and when you visit it next spring you will notice the tree has healed up the old tap location.

Here's a quick review of the supplies you need:

Power drill with an appropriate bit for the spiles you are using
Wooden mallet or hammer
Tapping spiles
Collection containers (ex. 3-5 gallon buckets with lids, milk jugs, ice cream pale, etc)
Large plastic storage container (ex. 5 gallon buckets with lids)
Cheesecloth
Candy thermometer
Boiling supplies (ex. catering pan + cement blocks and firewood, propane + sauce pan, other outdoor sap boiler system)

More Resources

Most of these supplies can be found at your local hardware store. They will likely even be able to give you some great tips and recommendations.

If you want more information, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources website has a plethora of tips and tricks, as well as a list of maple syrup events that take place at State Parks. Remember, there is not one right way to do this, and being creative with your own operation is part of the fun. If you and your family make it your own project the syrup is guaranteed to taste better than anything bought at the store

This article was originally written by Bryana’s husband Dan Ryan for the Pine Cone Press Citizen in Longville, MN in 2016. Bryana revamped the article slightly (with Dan’s permission) and added photos of their experiences and process. Check out the original article here: Filling the Gaps to an Outdoor Life: Maple Syrup.

Bryana and Dan live in the northwoods of Longville, MN with their 1-year-old Graham, black lab Sunny, and cat Lucy.

Filling in the Gaps to an Outdoor Life: Maple Syrup