Tree Tapping Season in Southeastern Virginia
Most maple syrup produced in the United States comes from Vermont, but that doesn’t mean we are shut out from the practice of sugaring. Virginia’s below-freezing nights combined with the mild above freezing days of late-winter can mean a short but prolific running of the sap. At 36° latitude, Virginia is on the lower edge of maple sugaring country. It is unique to the area above 35° latitude and east of 95° longitude.
Native Americans have been harvesting the sap and boiling it down since before the Pilgrims arrived. Maple syrup has been reported to have been on the menu of the first Thanksgiving in 1621.
Maple syrup was even a patriotic, politically-correct, sugar-alternative leading up to and during the Civil War, as traditional sugar used southern, slave labor.
Sugars are near-perfect foods in that they store well for very long periods of time and have a high caloric content needed in times of survival.
Maple syrup is commonly used to top pancakes and waffles but may also be used to sweeten drinks like lemonade and tea, lend sweetness to marinades for meats, flavor candies, muffins, cakes, frosting, and oatmeal. Plus, it makes a nice gift.
Add to the utilitarian uses the medicinal properties of maple syrup and I find even more reasons to harvest, process, and store it in our pantry. The maple sap has many vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It may have anti-inflammatory properties, has a lower glycemic score than regular sugar, and is a component of many popular cleanse diets.
Maple season is wrapping up for me. This year was super fast and furious. It started quickly, flowed fast, and then as fast as it appeared, the season ended. We tap Red Maples, but you can also tap Sugar Maples, Silver Maples, or Black Maples ( as well as many other trees).
To find out if you have trees suitable for tapping, identify the trees you have on your property and map them. https://pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/388/388-802/388-802_pdf.pdf The 4-H Forestry program has some valuable information for learners of all ages.
You will need to identify mature, healthy trees at least 12” in diameter.
You only need some simple supplies to tap trees: drill and drill bit 9sized for spile), spiles, tubing, cheesecloth or fabric, hammer or mallet, and buckets, bags, or jugs to collect sap.
I found inexpensive kits on Amazon as well as Tap My Trees www.tapmytree.com/shop www.tapmytrees.com/product/beginning-tubing-kit/ , Lehman’s www.lehmans.com/category/sugaring-supplies Merchants from Walmart to Tractor Supply sell sugaring supplies and kits. Order supplies well ahead of time so that when conditions are right, you can tap right away.
You will need to check your area’s expected tapping date with the Local Extension Office, but the sap flows between late January and early March in Virginia. When the night’s temperatures are below freezing and the day’s temperatures are above freezing, the expansion and contraction squeeze the sap up through the tree. The wider the swings, the faster it flows. The season may last as long as six weeks for us. This year, it only lasted for three weeks. We tap each tree twice if possible. Trees12-18” can support a single tap, those 18-25” can support two taps, while those 32’ or more in diameter may support as many as six taps.
Start with clean equipment. Use a very sharp drill bit and good quality drill so that you may make a single hole 1 ½ inches deep, at a very slight upward angle, in one single pass. Resist the urge to drill back and forth as it may seal the hole. If there are wood bits at the edge of the hole, use a toothpick to sweep them out and promptly tap in the spile. The shavings of a healthy tree will be very light brown. If the shavings are dark brown, choose another tree. Do not tap within six inches of another hole or the hole from a recent year. You should see tree water or sap dripping. I prefer to use food-grade tubing attached to cleaned-out plastic milk jugs, rather than buckets or bags. The tubing resists debris getting into the sap and saves time filtering the sap.
I check the jugs every morning and every evening, emptying and filtering through cheesecloth or fabric, then refrigerating or freezing the yield until I am ready to cook it down. When the sap is flowing well, I will get a gallon a day from a tree. At times the flow may slow to a trickle. The sap will continue to flow until temperatures stabilize and remain above freezing day/night, and the tree buds. At that time the sap will get a bit cloudy and take on a bitter taste. Remove the taps from the trees with a pair of pliers, and all equipment should be cleaned and sanitized and stored for the following year. The tree will heal and be ready for tapping again next season.
It takes about 40 parts sap to make 1 part syrup. Boiled sap (which is not reduced down to syrup) may also be used full strength as a drink or “light” sweetener. Five gallons boils down to about one pint of finished syrup. A few years ago, we ended up with 191 ounces of finished syrup and had a nice assortment of holiday gifts to share. We also made rock candy that year.
Our freezer is full of the wonderful sweet water/sap from the Red Maples that my grandmother planted. We are the fourth generation to live in our home and are blessed to have the legacy of our ancestors to help us subsist. In the coming weeks, I will find a nice day to sit outside and cook the syrup while I crochet or read a good book or two. Check back, and I will be sharing the cooking process in a future post. Until then, start scouting your trees and planning next year’s tapping adventure.
