As spring approaches, people from all over the Northeast
are gearing up for the up and coming maple syrup season.
Every producer is unique, some prefer
the old fashion way that has been taught from generation to generation,
using horses to draw the gathering tank in and around the sugar bush
while dumping the buckets full of sap into the tank to be transported back
to the sugar house.
The more modern maple producer uses pipelines.
This is a series of plastic lines hooked together throughout the sugar bush.
When the task of tapping is complete, the lines all form a gentle slope down
to the storage tanks.
Once the sap has been collected, the producer gradually
allows it to flow into the arch. This is a series of cells that when the
heat is applied either by wood or flames produced from a heating
unit causes the water to evaporate.
When the sap finally reaches the last cell, in is in a
really thick sugary syrup. The producer then pours the syrup through a
filter to produce the finished product which is ready for the market.
