At Southwell Sugar Shack we’ve been crafting pure maple syrup for generations, bringing the sweetness of nature straight to our table. In 2015 we expanded our family production so we could share our harvest not only at our table, but at your table, too. If you’ve ever wondered how maple syrup gets from our trees to your table, we’re here to give you a behind-the-scenes look into this incredible process. First, let’s start with the basics: What is maple syrup, really?
Sap Starts Flowing
Maple syrup is made from the sap of sugar maple trees, which are native to North America. The process of making maple syrup begins in early spring when the temperatures fluctuate between below freezing at night and above freezing during the day. These conditions cause the sap to flow from the roots of the tree up to the branches. We keep close tabs on weather and forecasts here at Southwell Sugar Shack, carefully discerning when it’s the right time to begin tapping our sugar bush.
Gathering the Sap
To collect the sap, we carefully drill a small hole into the trees, then insert a spile (commonly called a tap or spout) into the hole. We then use a small hammer to tap the spout into the tree. The sap itself is clear, slightly sweet, and the consistency of water. Each of our taps is connected to a series of vacuum-pressurized tubing. The miles of tubing in our sugar bush eventually come together at one of multiple pump houses on our property. Once that sap makes it to a pump house, it is filtered, then sent up to our sugar shack in an underground pipe where it is once again filtered before flowing into a 6,000-gallon storage tank. The filtered sap will be held in that tank until we are ready to begin our boiling process.
Turning Sap into Maple Syrup
Once we collect enough sap, it’s time to begin the process of turning sap into syrup. We begin by running our sap through reverse osmosis machines, removing excess water in order to reduce the boiling time and quantity of wood needed to burn as we make syrup. The concentrated sap is then boiled in our commercial-sized evaporator. During this process, the water is boiled off, allowing the sap to gradually thicken and take on a rich, amber color and bringing out that irresistible maple flavor we love. The temperature of the sap must be carefully monitored to ensure the syrup reaches the perfect consistency and flavor.
When the syrup reaches a temperature of about 219°F, we know our syrup is nearing perfection. We carefully check the syrup’s sugar content (referred to as brix). When the syrup is perfect, we begin to draw off the syrup from our evaporator. We run our syrup through one more filter to ensure there are no impurities. From there we pump our syrup into steel drums to hold until we are ready to put it into smaller bottles for all of us to enjoy.
Join Us on Our Maple Syrup Journey
We invite you to become part of our Southwell Sugar Shack maple syrup family and experience firsthand the magic of pure maple syrup with Southwell Sugar Shack’s organic maple syrup. From tapping the trees to boiling the sap, we carry on a family tradition that we cherish and a process that we enjoy sharing with others. It all leads to a sweet reward of syrup that we are privileged to share with your family!
The next time you reach for a bottle of Southwell Sugar Shack maple syrup, recall that it’s more than just maple syrup. It’s a legacy of nature, tradition, and the hard work that goes into making something truly worthy of your family’s table, the place where you gather with your most cherished people.
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