Have you always wanted to try tapping maple trees on your property so you could make your own maple syrup? Then you’re in luck because maple syrup season is almost here. You may have noticed buckets on your neighbors’ trees — I have seen them here in Kennebunk.
Shifting maple syrup season
Now is the perfect time to learn how to collect and produce this popular syrup. All you need are some basic facts and equipment. You don’t even need to leave your yard to start producing natural maple syrup that’s perfect to top pancakes with and bake into your favorite desserts. And there are great resources available locally and for free from the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, including where you can buy sap collecting buckets like this one I photographed near my home.
Because we’ve had a cold, snowy winter, this might be the best year ever to try your hand at maple syrup making. As I was updating our annual roundup of Maine Maple Weekend events, I saw post after post on sugaring house Facebook pages that they have never, ever had this much sap to boil off from what the trees were producing.
Maple sap flows during freeze-thaw cycles, periods of time when the temperature drops below the water’s freezing point and then rises enough for the frozen water to thaw. These cycles typically occur over a six- to eight-week period. According to the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the optimal time for tapping trees occurs when these cycles are most frequent. If these conditions occur earlier in winter, tapping starts sooner.
As NIFA reports, the 2023 maple syrup season began weeks earlier than expected, continuing a trend that has emerged over the past several years. This goes hand-in-hand with a renewed interest in backyard tree tapping. In 2021, for example, the New York Times reported that tapping backyard trees surged as a hobby among families during the pandemic. At the same time, home maple syrup tapping kits flew off the shelves. More people stayed close to home, interested in saving money and looking for screen-free outdoor family activities.
In 2024, many Maine maple farms had completely tapped all of their trees and boiled their sap by the time February was over. 2025 is turning out to be a similar season. So by the time Maine Maple Weekend rolls around, all of the sap boilers and sugarhouses likely will have long finished their 2025 crop.
Why tap maple trees
Making backyard maple syrup offers a fun DIY alternative to visiting a crowded maple syrup farm on Maine Maple Weekend or maybe visiting sugarhouses inspires you to give it a try in your own backyard. It appeals to people interested in honing their homesteading and self-reliance skills.
The hands-on process of collecting sap to boil into syrup requires time outdoors, attention to detail and patience. Learning how to tap and make maple syrup offers an educational experience for people of all ages, deepening their connection with nature and understanding of where their food comes from.
Healthy natural sweetener
Maple syrup makes a delicious natural sweetener for people interested in moving away from 0-calorie sweeteners. If you have a sweet tooth, your own syrup supply means you can experiment more freely with the unique flavor in maple syrup dessert recipes. Here’s what you need to know about the different maple syrup grades as well as cooking and baking with maple syrup.
Know before you tap for sap
When tapping, remember to choose healthy, mature maple trees. If you’re keen to try tapping your own backyard trees this maple syrup season, keep these tips in mind.
1. Know which variety of maple trees grow in your yard. Some varieties, like sugar maples, yield thicker, sweeter syrup due to their high sugar content.
2. Gather your equipment and supplies beforehand, as these may sell out quickly in your area.
3. Watch the weather. Tap the trees when nights are cold and days are warmer.
4. Depending on the sap’s sugar content, which varies by maple tree variety, you’ll need about 43 gallons of sap to produce one gallon of syrup.
4. Hang buckets to collect the sap for boiling down.
5. After boiling, filter the syrup and store it in a cool, dry place.
What you need to tap trees
In addition to suitable trees, you’ll need some equipment to tap in your backyard. Here are some of the items you should consider.
1. Drill and drill bits for drilling holes in the trees.
2. Spiles or taps to insert into the drilled holes.
3. Buckets or sap bags.
4. Lids or covers to protect sap from debris and rain.
5. Large pot or evaporator for boiling sap.
6. Thermometer for temperature monitoring during boiling.
7. Filters to strain impurities.
8. Storage containers for the finished product.
Kathie Lapcevic, a longtime backyard tree tapper and owner of simple living site Homespun Seasonal Living, advises holding off on investing in fancy or expensive equipment until you know it’s something you want to do. “There are all kinds of spiles and tubes on the market,” she says. “Look on eBay or other sites for a deal.”
To save even more money, upcycle what you have or tap into — pun intended — your local Buy Nothing Group. Who knows if someone might be giving away maple syruping equipment or items you could fashion for the job. Lapcevic has been tapping her trees for syrup for 15 years and says to get creative with containers.
“Use any container for the collection — it doesn’t have to be the expensive or professional metal sap buckets of old,” she advises. “Our first year, we punched holes in plastic vinegar bottles that were well cleaned and hung those from the metal spiles for collection. It wasn’t pretty, but it was effective.”
At the same time, you can turn to the University of Maine Cooperative Extension to learn how to tap trees and make maple syrup. In addition, they have a list of local supplies from whom you can buy equipment.
Portions of this article originally appeared on Food Drink Life.
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