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Tree Sap
As pure maple syrup is made from 100% maple sap, sap is the maple producer’s most precious resource. The quality of that sap directly impacts the quality of the finished syrup. Collection techniques can affect yield and quality, while storage techniques can be selected to maintain quality before processing. As sap farmers, we can process sap from different species into various products, from sap beverages to birch and walnut syrup, to maple syrup and various value-added products. It all starts with sap.
Jump To:
Sap Collection
Sap Storage
Sap Chilling
Sap Processing
Into a Sap Beverage
Alternative Saps
Walnut
Sap Collection
Sap collection is the first step in maple syrup production. Collection can be accomplished with buckets or tubing and with or without vacuum applied. Cleanliness of the collection system, also known as “tubing sanitation”, can dramatically impact sap yield and quality.
Below is a PDF excerpt from the CMP Beginner’s Notebook, Chapter 2: Setting Up – Sap Collection Systems.
Sap Storage
Sap must be stored before it can be processed. Appropriate sizing of storage containers made from food-grade materials is key. Sap storage conditions are critical for controlling quality of the final product. Sap is prone to quick spoilage, particularly towards the end of the sugaring season when it is held at warm temperatures and is arriving at the sugarhouse with a higher microbial load than earlier in the winter.
Below is a PDF excerpt from the CMP Beginner’s Notebook, Section 3.3 Sap Storage Basics.
Episode 37 Description: This month, Aaron and Adam discuss their experiences testing different methods for chilling sap during the warm part of the production season in mid-spring. Technology to improve and preserve sap quality is becoming essential as the weather gets warmer during the sap collection season. Methods for all different budgets and sized operations are discussed in this episode.
Episode Produced by Ailis Clyne. Music – Long and Low Cloud by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue)
Two New Extension Bulletins on Sap Chilling
Chilling maple sap prevents spoilage and provides flexibility in processing. The first bulletin is an overview of sap chilling techniques with a focus on glycol chilling. The second contains step-by-step instructions for building your own glycol chiller from a window AC unit and a picnic cooler. Both bulletins provide useful information for both hobbyist and commercial maple producers.
Sap Processing
There are many aspects of sap processing. Sap can be filtered, ultrafiltered, and concentrated using a reverse osmosis before it is boiled into syrup. It can also be thermally processed, acidified, and/or concentrated to make a sap beverage. Sap can also be used as in ingredient in food (e.g., kombucha, wine) and personal care (e.g., lotion, soap) products, which may require special handling to prevent spoilage.
Below are two PDF excerpts from the CMP Beginner’s Notebook from Chapter 4: Syrup Production & the Sugarhouse. The first is on the topic of Reverse Osmosis which is used to concentrate sap by removing water resulting in a lower volume of concentrated sap with higher sugar content. This process reduces storage space needs, increases efficiency of syrup production, reduces fuel costs, and speeds up the boiling processes. The second is about turning sap into syrup and contains three subsections: Boiling Process – Evaporator Basics, Finishing Syrup – Density, and Filtering Syrup.
Bottled Maple Sap
Bottling and selling maple sap has the potential to increase sales revenue while providing a functional beverage for consumers. This bulletin covers the cost and health benefits of maple sap as a bottled beverage, preservation and packaging methods, an overview of commercial preservation methods for small- and large-scale production, regulatory guidelines, and an overview of production procedures using equipment common in maple sugarhouses.
Alternative Saps
Edible sap can be collected from a variety of different trees in addition to maple. The most famous examples include walnut and birch, but the Cornell Maple Program conducts research to explore additional species and their unique attributes that require different strategies for sap collection and processing. Maple trees exhibit positive pressure in the spring, and therefore do not require vacuum to produce sap. Some species do not have this positive pressure, and therefore require vacuum to collect sap (e.g., sycamore). Different species experience sap flow at different timing in the season due to different mechanisms of pressure, for example, birch trees experience root pressure in the spring as they start to leaf-out for spring, coinciding with the end of the maple sap flow season. Additionally, different species contain different compounds in their sap that pose different challenges in processing. For example, beech sap contains pectin which can be difficult to filter out using standard maple processing techniques and equipment. The Cornell Maple Program aims to expand the range of trees that can be harvested from to produce high-value food products to improve farm resiliency and profitability.