There is no better way to start your day on a
Sunday morning than with a plate of freshly made waffles, pancakes, or French
toast (whatever you prefer) drizzled with some maple syrup and topped with some
fresh fruit. I remember asking my dad one morning where maple syrup came from
and he just responded that it came from trees. I grew up thinking that maple
syrup just magically came out from trees and it was not until recently that I
learned the whole process of making maple syrup. Just a quick overview for
those may not know what the process is, maple syrup season begins when temperatures climb above 40°F during
the day and fall below freezing at night. In Northern New York this happens
between late February and early April. During this time, a hole is drilled into
the tree where a metal tap it attached. The sap flows from the tree through the
tap into a bucket. One the sap is collected, it is boiled to remove all the
water and what is left behind is maple syrup. Many different factors play into
the quality and flavor of maple syrup such as weather conditions, the size of the
tree, and the length of sap season. The warm winter we have been experiencing
has caused farmers to start maple syrup season early.
The warm winter has allowed Maple
Farmers to begin their season much earlier than anticipated and so far have been thrilled about it.
How exactly has this warm winter been affecting the maple trees? The reason why
temperatures must be 40°F during the day and fall below freezing at night is
because the alternate freezing and thawing temperature cycle causes
pressure changes inside the tree that makes the sap flow. If the temperature
gets too cold the sap takes a longer time to start flowing or might not even
run at all. If the temperature doesn’t reach above freezing during the day, sap
will not run. The warm winter has allowed for the temperature during
the day to reach above freezing temperature and the sap to run. The only issue
will be is if the weather begins to
stay warm. This would make the trees start to bud which would ruin the syrup’s
flavor and bring the season to an early end. There is no way to tell how the season
will go until the season has ended.
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