Tap that Ash

During the middle weeks of March there was definitely still snow on the ground, yet it warmed up enough to get the sap flowing in Mountain, WI.

In a successful attempt to promote more winter activities, Bear Paw Scout Camp, a summer camp with which I have quite a history, held it's first ever Bear Paw Maple Days: a day camp in which kids come up to camp and learn everything there is to know about maple syrup, from tap to bottle.

I worked on the staff, teaching all the little ones about the history of maple syrup making, how it was made by Native Americans and early European settlers. Trust me, I'm no syrup expert but after this weekend of maple magic, I feel I'm many steps closer.

For example, did you know that the sap that come out of a tree is basically sugar water? That's

right! The sugar content of the sap is only about 2-3%. However, after a lengthy boiling process, in a "sugar shack" like the one at right, the water is boiled off and you are left with the deliciousness we call maple syrup. The contents of which is about 67% sugar.

Here are some other fun facts:

• Tapping does no permanent damage to the tree
• It takes 40 gallons of sap to produce 1 gallon of syrup
  
• 1 tree produces 10 gallons of sap
• Maple syrup won't actually freeze
• Maple syrup is the first farm crop to be harvested in Wisconsin each year
• and in 1905 the U.S. Pure Food and Drug Act made alteration of maple syrup with glucose illegal (bet you didn't know that one)

Oh and we showed the kiddies how a gravity taping scheme works. Instead of hanging baskets from taps, a series of tubing is used to filter the sap to a collection at the lowest point in the area. Believe me, after walking around for hours collecting 5 gallon buckets of half frozen sap, a system like this is really sweet (pun intended). But you do have to have the luxury of many maple trees in a valley-like area.

The final product at the end of the day was a delicious little bottle of homemade, fresh, delectable, maple syrup that everyone got to take home and enjoy on their pancakes, waffles, spaghetti, whatever.

Ohh and P.S. We were tapping sugar maple trees as they yield the most sap. Tapping an ash tree is just absurd. I simply couldn't resist the innuendo.