Storing Maple Syrup

Late winter is the time of year to make maple syrup. With all the hard work that goes into the different steps of syrup production, it is important to properly preserve this tasty treat.

Maple trees can be tapped as early as January in some areas of the country. Usually, in Michigan, maple sugaring starts in early March, and then it is time to store maple syrup. It is hard work to make maple syrup, and when it’s done, it is time to focus on safe storage.

There are several steps that need to be taken when storing maple syrup, it all starts with straining and filtering. Then depending on what grade of syrup has been produced, there can be additional value added to the product. Syrup is graded by color, the lighter the color of the syrup the higher the grade. This is just a brief overview of what affects the grade of maple syrup. There are other factors that may affect the grade, such as flavor, uniformity, odor and even clarity. Many maple sugar makers begin sap collection as soon as the sap starts flowing, which can be as early as January, depending on the weather. For sap to run, the outdoor temperature must freeze (32 degrees Fahrenheit or lower) at night and then thaw (35 degrees or above) in the daytime.

Sap is gathered from the maple tree each day and brought to a location or a “sugar shack” to boil. The boiling process evaporates the water and concentrates the sugar to make syrup. Depending on the amount of sugar in the maple tree it can take 40 gallons of sap to create one gallon of syrup. This takes a lot of time and diligence to acquire a finished product.

After the hard work of turning sap into syrup is done, it’s important to decide on the type of container to use for storing maple syrup. Typically, maple syrup is stored in glass jars so the beautiful color can shine through. Glass containers can be canning jars that are found in a local store or fancy-shaped glass jars that can be purchased from maple syrup suppliers. Many people like to see the true color of pure maple syrup through the glass jar. There are also producers that use a plastic jug that comes in many sizes for safe storage.