We are currently planning to make our own maple syrup. We will actually start collecting the sap in February, but right now we're getting our supplies and marking the right trees.

Did you know it takes 32-40 gallons of sap to make a single gallon of maple syrup? You can use Red Maple, Norway Maple, Silver Maple, or Sugar Maple trees. Sugar Maple makes the best they say, as it's sweeter. Luckily we have alot of Sugar Maples at our new house!

Each tree needs to be at least 10" in diameter before you can tap if it for sap. Depending on the size of the tree, you can have up to 4 taps in the tree. The tap(s) will go in about 4 foot from the bottom in February. The taps are pretty cheap, and you just drill a small hole in the tree for the tap to be inserted in. As long as it's about 20 degrees F in the evening and 40 degrees F in the daytime, the sap will flow quite nicely.

After you get the sap, you must boil it so that the only thing remaining is the syrup. You then filter it through cheesecloth and bottle it. You can't do this in the summertime because the sap will spoil when it goes much over 40 degrees.

Here are the little bottles that we're going to use. We're not going to try and make a lot of syrup, just enough to see if we enjoy doing it. If so, then we'll make a lot:)

Here is what the tap looks like: