Sugar Maples

Running of the sap requires freezing nights and warm days, so trees are tapped in early spring. Tapping ends before trees bud because sap becomes bitter. The sap is boiled for hours and hours to make Maple Syrup, which means the sap has gone from 3% to 66% sugar. Approximately 40 gallons of sap is needed to make 1 gallon of syrup!

Sugar Maples grow to over 100 feet tall and these maples are over 100 years old. Mary Zaffke’s grandpa, Andrew Kjome, bought this farm in the early 1900s. This hill had just been logged, but all the young Maples were left standing and were able to flourish without the mature trees. Luckily these trees are still standing today.