January-February 2023 • Nebraskaland 33
and the fi nal transition from sap to
syrup — the tricky part.
Sap turns to syrup when it reaches
7½ degrees over the boiling point
of water, a number that varies
slightly depending on where you live.
Determine at what temperature water
boils at your location, then add 7½
degrees to fi nd the temperature at
which your sap will become syrup.
"This is critical, and it happens
very quickly once it gets close to
that temperature, so monitor it very
closely," Hejl said.
Once you've created the syrup,
remove the pot from the stove and
allow it to cool slightly. Then, pour the
syrup through cheesecloth to remove
any impurities. Hejl typically runs it
through clean cheesecloth several
times.
The fi nal step is pouring the syrup
into jars with lids. Kept in the fridge,
the syrup will last for at least a year.
A Fun Pastime
Tapping trees for syrup isn't a well-
known hobby, at least in Nebraska.
That could be because people either
don't know about it, Hejl said, or fi nd
the process intimidating. However,
once you understand the steps, it's
fairly simple, he said.
He recommends this hobby to
anyone who enjoys the outdoors and is
looking for something new to do.
"I just go out into nature and take
what nature wants to give me," Hejl
said. "I can't wait for spring to do
it again."
N
What Kind of Trees
Can I Tap?
Any kind of maple tree
can be tapped for syrup,
yet historically, only silver
maples and box elders are
found natively within the
state, said forester Jorden
Smith, who works for the
Nebraska Forest Service.
"Most syrup production is
based on sugar maple, black
maple and red maple, and
all three of those species
really like cool, wet summers
with cold, windless winters.
Sadly, Nebraska doesn't
quite fit that ecotype," he
said. "Sticking to our native
trees is a better long-term,
sustainable syrup supplier."
Smith said that walnuts
and birches can also be
tapped, but with a few
caveats. Tapping a walnut tree destroys the value of its timber,
and birches may be unable to handle the stress of being tapped.
Other potential syrup sources, such as lindens, sycamores, elms
and hickories, may require a long boiling process, are susceptible
to disease after being drilled, or are poor choices for tapping
thanks to their scarcity and size.
Silver maple. GETTY PHOTO
Hejl with the fi nal, packaged
walnut syrup.
