On the Fly with Aniyah & Shy: From Sap to Syrup
NEWARK, OH- Mid to late March usually marks the end of maple syrup season. But before it wraps up, WHIZ’s Shylin Costello and Aniyah Hart hit the trails at The Dawes Arboretum to get a behind the scenes look at how maple syrup is collected.
Maple syrup season is underway at the Dawes Arboretum in Newark. The process starts by carefully drilling a small hole into a mature maple tree and inserting a spile to allow sap to slowly drip out.
“A hole is drilled either with a hand drill or a power drill, then a tap is put in a spile. It’s just a hollow something that used to be wood, then it was metal, and now we use plastic. But it’s tapped into the tree and then we collect the sap drops. We do that for 2 to 3 weeks here in late winter, and then we leave the rest of the sugary sap for the trees to grow.” Nancy Gregory, the Learning Engagement Educator at The Dawes Arboretum said.
But what looks like water is just the beginning. It takes about 40 gallons of sap to produce just one gallon of maple syrup.
“To make maple syrup, we have to boil the sap down. It takes about 40 or 50 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup.” Gregory said.
Boiling removes excess water and concentrates the natural sugars, transforming thin liquid into the rich amber syrup many associate with breakfast. And while the process is rooted in science, here at Dawes, it’s also rooted in education and tradition.
“We’re carrying on a tradition that our founders, Bertie and Beman Dawes, started way back when they first bought the land back in 1917 or 1919. They started making syrup and they continued it for many years, and then back in 1966 we started giving public tours to continue the tradition.” Gregory said.
Maple season may be short, but for Central Ohio it’s a sweet sign that spring is just around the corner.
While syrup season may be coming to a close, you can check out other trails and activities at The Dawes Arboretum. For more information on upcoming trails and events, you can visit their website.
