A sugarbush is a grove of maple trees tapped for sap, and a sugarhouse is the building where that sap is boiled into syrup. Sap is the clear, slightly sweet liquid that drips from a tapped maple. Here are those three and 16 more maple words, in roughly the order you'd meet them on the way from tree to tin.
In the woods
Sugarbush. The maple grove where trees are tapped and sap is collected. Sugar makers size a sugarbush by the number of taps, not the number of trees. Some trees in Vermont sugarbushes are more than 200 years old.
Sap. The liquid that drips from a tapped maple, before boiling turns it into syrup. It's clear and only slightly sweet, about 2 percent sugar, which is why it takes about 40 gallons of sap to make a gallon of syrup.
Sugaring season. The few weeks in early spring when sap runs. In Vermont it usually starts in March and lasts four to six weeks. It ends when nights stay above freezing and the trees begin to bud. There's more on when maple syrup season starts and ends.
Sap run. A stretch of time when sap is flowing. It follows a freeze and thaw, with nights below freezing and days around 40 to 45°F.
Taphole. The small hole drilled into a maple's trunk to reach the sap. Today it's usually 5/16 inch wide and about 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 inches deep, angled slightly upward.
Spout. Also called a spile. The small tube set into the taphole that directs sap into a bucket, a bag or tubing. Spouts come out at the end of the season so the tree can heal.
Tubing. Plastic lines that carry sap from each tree to a holding tank. Some run a mile or more. Sugar makers can also add vacuum, a pump that pulls air out of the lines, which can raise sap yields by 50 to 150 percent.
In the sugarhouse
Sugarhouse. The building where sap is boiled into syrup. Many have a cupola on the roof to let out the steam.
Sugar maker. Someone who makes maple syrup. You'll also see it written as one word, sugarmaker.
Reverse osmosis. RO for short. A machine that removes some of the water from sap before boiling, so there's less to boil off.
Evaporator. The equipment that boils sap down into syrup. In most sugarhouses it's a set of stainless steel pans sitting on top of a firebox. In a continuous-flow evaporator, sap goes in at one end and finished syrup is drawn off at the other.
Arch. The firebox under the evaporator pans. It holds the fire and pipes the smoke away from the boiling sap. It might burn wood, oil, wood chips or pellets.
Brix. The percent of solids by weight, often read as percent sugar. Maple syrup must be at least 66 Brix under federal rules and at least 66.9 in Vermont. Grade A tops out at 68.9.
Hydrometer. A floating instrument that measures density. Sugar makers float one in hot syrup to check that it's thick enough to be called syrup. Vermont only allows the sale of maple syrup hydrometers the state has approved.
Sugar sand. Also called niter. A gritty sediment that comes out of the sap during boiling and is filtered out before the syrup is packed. Skip the filtering and it settles as a cloudy layer at the bottom of the jar.
On the label
Pure maple syrup. Maple sap boiled down until it's syrup. Under federal rules, all of its sugar has to come from maple sap. Pancake syrup is a different product. It's usually flavored corn syrup, often with no maple in it at all. Here's how the two compare and how to tell them apart on a label.
Grade A. The grade for all maple syrup sold in stores. It comes in four color classes, from Golden Color and Delicate Taste to Very Dark Color and Strong Taste. Syrup that can't make Grade A is Processing Grade, which isn't sold at retail.
Buddy. An off flavor that shows up late in the season as the trees break bud. Vermont counts buddy flavor as damage, and the federal standards list it as an off flavor. Either way, buddy syrup can't be Grade A.
Just for fun
Sugar on snow. A sticky, taffy-like treat made by heating syrup until it thickens and pouring it straight onto fresh snow or crushed ice. The Massachusetts Maple Producers Association recommends a pickle between servings.
See it all together
Sticky's syrup comes from one Vermont forest and is boiled over a wood-burning fire. You can follow the whole process in the maple guide, or shop Amber and Dark.
