You shouldn't try to tap young maples. The experts say that a maple should be at least 18 inches across the trunk. A tree with a 18 or 20 inch trunk can handle no more than two taps without sacrificing harm to the tree. My trees are abut 24 inches across but I keep the taps down to two a tree only because when the sap is flowing fast, it is hard for me to keep up with the boiling.
Tapping is simple. For years I made my own taps out of ½ inch copper pipe cut into lengths about 4 inches long. I would drill a couple holes in the short length of pipe and cut a small grove near the end to hang a bucket from. Using a drill (hand, cordless or electric), drill a ½ inch hole in the tree trunk at about a 20 degree upward angle. Go about two or three inches deep. Don't be surprised if sap starts running out while you are drilling. Use a hammer to drive the taps into the holes, they should fit firmly. Get yourself a small metal or plastic pail. I use coffee cans and the kids plastic sand pails. Attach a handle to it by hammering a couple holes in the can and run some stove wire through it. Hang the pails in the notches you cut in the taps.
As the pails fill, I dump them through a filter (a clean bath towel works great) and into a larger 5 gallon plastic pail. I do my boiling on a propane stove in the garage with a 10 quart stainless pot. Fill it with sap and start boiling. As the water evaporates, keep adding more sap. Caution: doing this in the house will add a lot of humidity inside and has been known to peel off wallpaper... trust me, I know!
A violent boil is necessary to not only sterilize the sap but quickly evaporate the water. Quickly? It takes me at least 12 hours to reduce 7 gallons of sap enough to thicken into syrup. 7 gallons of sap is what I draw on a decent day. Good sap days are days that are bright and sunny, very little wind and the nights are still freezing. How much sap is needed to produce syrup? Once again depending on the type of maple tree and its sugar content, it will be at least 40 to 1. Yes, 40 gallons of sap for 1 gallon of syrup. I make roughly 1 gallon a year which is plenty for me and the kids. Cost effective? No way! Aunt Jemima sells pretend syrup a lot cheaper than what it costs me in propane. But those who know real syrup can testify to the rich quality and unduplicated taste of good home made maple syrup. And when you produce your own, it can be textured to suit your taste.
When the sap is boiled down to a point when it starts rolling bubbles, it is getting close to being finished. This is a crucial time. Keep boiling but do not leave the sap! It will burn very easily at this point ruining your entire batch. Remember also that the syrup will thicken when it is cool. Taste tests are a good way of determining when the evaporation process is done. I pour hot syrup into glass canning jars and let them cool on the counter then refrigerate. Enjoy!
