Why? Because you can! And pickle, and jam, or otherwise celebrate the resurgence of the domestic arts our forebears held so dear. Put on your best apron and step into our kitchen, won't you?
Harvesting your backyard maple tree sap and making syrup is extremely easy. You just need a few simple pieces of equipment, a 12" diameter or larger maple tree, and the right weather.
Did you know that many backyard trees such as hickory, box elder, birch, and black walnut can be tapped to make syrup? We walk through the process of making an incredible black walnut syrup.
Mapling, or sugaring, is the process of collecting and boiling down the sap from maple trees in order to make syrup. It’s an ancient practice and one of the few sugar sources native to the northern hemisphere.
In Dianna's 5th installment in the DIY Maple Syrup Series, she takes us through the steps of making a large-scale temporary fireplace for your evaporator to boil sap into syrup!
In FSC's 4th DIY Maple Syrup Installment, Chris photo documents a brief period in Dianna's 2nd 12-hour boil during the 2011 Season. This boil happened in the driveway of their home in Downtown Saratoga Spring. Fireplace/evaporator details are shown.
