(Lewis) John Lorenzen, Fisheries Biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, appeared on the DNR report on Saturday and says maple syrup season is underway.
Lorenzen says that typically, Maple Syrup season occurs in February and March because the sap flows best when nighttime temperatures are below freezing and daytime temperatures are in the 40s.
He says Sugar Maples top the list for syrup makers because they have the highest sugar concentration in their sap, but other Maples also work fine. Lorenzen adds that many species of trees can be tapped for making syrup, and Black Walnut trees make good syrup, but the ratio of sap to syrup is relatively high. He says it takes somewhere close to 100 gallons of Walnut tree sap to boil to make one gallon of syrup. Maple trees are somewhere in the 40:1 sap to syrup ratio.
Lorenzen says to drill a 5/16-inch hole 1.5 to 2 inches deep and insert a spout that drains into a bucket. Then, he says to take the sap and heat it to evaporate. He says the finished syrup boils at seven degrees Fahrenheit above water’s boiling point, which is about 219 degrees F. Once it reaches that point, filter it, and you will have pure wild Maple syrup made from one ingredient: sap.
