The Process

As Spring draws near, trees begin to wake up from their hibernation. The warmer days cause water to be drawn upward from the root, which mixes with the sugars from the beginning of photosynthesis. When the temps drop below freezing at night, the sap plunges down again. This up and down pressure causes sap to flow out of the tree. 

The maple sap is collected by drilling a hole in the tree and tapping a spout into it. A line or a bucket will be connected to the tap which will either drip naturally or be drawn out more efficiently with a vacuum pump. The process of drilling and putting the spout in is called “tapping”.

Maple syrup is created by tediously boiling the sap that has been collected. It takes approximately 40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup. Sap is 98% water so sometimes reverse osmosis is used. This is a process by which some of the water is removed, creating a sweeter sap and lessening the boil time. 

We are all about quality at Mad Moose Maple, our lines come directly to our sugarhouse and are usually boiled within the day, meaning a very fresh, premium product.