6. How Much Sap Does It Take to Make Syrup?
Maple sap is around 98-percent water. Therefore, it takes around 40-gallons to produce 1-gallon of maple syrup. Farmers boil off the water over a wood-fire. They bottle the remaining golden-brown syrup for sale. Some farmers choose to boil down the syrup further until it forms sugar crystals.
Over the generations, farmers sought to optimize their techniques and equipment. The evolution led to the creation of “evaporators,” which are giant frying pans with wood-burner fireboxes underneath.
The introduction of modern extraction technology has changed the landscape for many producers. Now farmers use cordless drills to tap the sugar trees. Vacuum pumps extract higher yields from the trees and run through plastic tubing to giant storage tanks. Farmers use oil-fuel furnaces for the boiling phase and reverse osmosis filters to remove water before boiling.
Technology may advance, but the process remains the same as it has for generations; extract and boil. The product still retains all of the properties of maple syrup manufactured by the Native Americans.