From sap to syrup

HURON TWP. — It can't get any sweeter than this. When Mike Hensley worked for a nature center in West Virginia, he learned about the maple sugaring process. He was fascinated by how Native Americans discovered maple tree sap, which could be turned into syrup. Hensley, who is now a naturalist with Erie MetroParks, brought his knowledge to the area and has taken charge of the district's maple sugaring program. For the past three years, Hensley has been tapping trees within MetroPark properties. The first year, he used trees at Edison Woods MetroPark, but for the last two years, Hensley has harvested sap from maple trees throughout Osborn MetroPark. When visiting the park, people might have noticed trees with buckets or blue bags attached to them near the Frost Center and in the South Woods. "Osborn is more accessible to a lot of people, and we can keep a better eye on the production," Hensley said. Hensley tapped 25 trees — including sugar, red and silver maples — in January. Sap flows best when temperatures are below freezing and warm up to above 35 degrees. Spiles were drilled into trees and were put at a downward angle so the sap could drip out into containers. A few trees were big enough to support two spiles. On a good day, a tree can produce one or even two gallons of sap, Hensley said. In Vermont, where maple sugaring is more popular, sugar shacks are commonly seen all over, Hensley said. One was recently constructed at Osborn MetroPark through funding from the Dorn Foundation and the Friends of Erie MetroParks. The Sugar Shack is used specifically for the maple sugaring program, and it allows Hensley to filter the sap and boil it in a controlled environment. With the evaporator inside the shack, Hensley boils the sap so it reduces to syrup. It's a process that takes up to 12 hours for between 40 and 50 gallons of sap. Hensley said this has been his most successful season for sap collection. He accumulated about 210 gallons of sap, which made about four gallons of syrup. "Overall, this is my favorite program that I do," Hensley said. "It incorporates natural history, science and history of Native Americans and colonists. It's everything mixed into one that I really like to do." "It's a very rewarding process because I'm literally part of every step," he added. Even though the MetroParks hasn't had in-person programming since the start of the pandemic, Hensley made the most of the maple sugaring season by creating a video that explains the whole process. "You can do this in your backyard," he said. About five or six maple trees could produce enough sap to make a gallon of syrup — and that could possibly last a year, he added. For sugar maple trees, specifically, they need to produce a total of 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup. As temperatures stay consistently warm, and trees begin to grow buds, the sap turns from clear to a yellow color, and it tends to mark the end of the maple sugaring season. The tree is then focused on its leaf growth. This weekend, the community will have the opportunity to taste the all-natural maple syrup made by Hensley. From 10 a.m to noon on Sunday, Hensley will have a drive-thru by the Frost Center at Osborn MetroPark to give out sample bottles of the syrup. There's a limited amount available.