Boiling Off - Bring the Sweetness from the Sap

The earliest method of boiling off was to use a single iron or brass kettle supported over an open fire. The water was cooked until it could not be stirred with a ladle. Then it was removed from the fire and stirred rapidly until it was cool, and the syrup hardened into sugar.

In the mid-1700's, a series of kettles were suspended from a pole, and the sap was dipped from one kettle to the next until the product was removed. They were usually 25-gallon kettles.

In the late 1700's, the use of kettles was still recommended, with iron ladles to dip the water from one kettle to another. Skimmers were used to remove the foam. When the water reached the consistency of syrup, it formed numerous bubbles, and unless checked, would boil over. A piece of pork fat was suspended over the kettle at such a height that the foaming syrup would touch it and subside.

In 1830 the process was moved into a lean-to or partial cover to keep the wood dry and shield the kettles from the weather.

In 1840 sugar houses (like today's) were built, and the large evaporating pans were used.

To make maple syrup, a number of tests were devised. When the hot syrup would cleave from an axe, flake off in scales from a dipper, or draw a fine thread between a stick and the fingers, the syrup would be removed from the fire and stirred to grain. Sugar cake molds were used, and cakes were sold or traded at stores. The first cake molds were made of wood, then iron, metal, and now rubber. To store maple, settling barrels were used. They were wooden barrels with a spigot to draw off syrup as needed. The hot syrup was strained through a piece of homespun linen. Crumb sugar was stored in barrels in a cool place. It would become hard from the dampness, and a sugar devil was used to loosen it. The stored syrup was called "soft sugar."

To make crumb sugar, maple syrup has to be heated to approximately 260 degrees, depending upon atmospheric conditions at the time. A watchful eye is needed, because at this point, the syrup is near the scorching or burning point. Upon removal from the heat, the syrup is poured into a wooden trough hollowed out of basswood. This wood has no odor to it, and most troughs in use are 100 or more years old.

For the next 30 minutes or more, the sugar maker faces a constant and hard task. The 20 to 25-pound mixture has to be stirred with a wooden stick. There can be no time for coffee breaks and relaxation. All moisture must be eliminated by constant stirring as the mixture begins to cool.

As the syrup thickens and begins to granulate, a large wooden maul is used to finish the job. Before packaging, the crumb sugar is screened into a container. Any lumps found are returned to the heated container for remelting. About seven pounds of crumb sugar can be produced from one gallon of pure maple syrup.