To get started making your own maple syrup, you’ll first need tree taps or spouts (sometimes called spiles) to insert into your trees. A small 5/16” hole is drilled into the tree, and the spout is lightly tapped in. Next, a food grade drop line will connect to the spout and lea...
The early spring cooling/thawing cycle releases the upward flow of sap stored in the tree’s root system. In a good harvest, the sap flows fastest during four or five “runs”--10 gallons per tap at the peak. Otherwise, the maples slowly “weep” their clear, sticky and barely sweet t...