By DEBORAH BEHRENDS Indiana Correspondent SALEM, Ind. - February and early March are prime time to collect maple sap to make syrup. And LM Sugarbush LLC opens its gates to the general public to entertain with various activities and teach visitors how the sweet stuff is made. While visitors are welcome to take a self-guided tour of the working festival grounds, they also can wait for an employee to lead tours on the hour and explain the process and answer questions during the two weekends of the festival. Tour guide Logan Hurst said he has worked on the farm for 18 years and has done a little of everything. The best days for sap collection are when the temperature is above freezing during the day and below freezing at night prior to bud formation on the trees. Hurst explained that once the trees start to bud, they can't use the sap. "As the tree is getting ready to bud, the sap starts moving the nutrients the tree will need," he said. Although he was unsure how many years the trees can be tapped, they start the process when the tree is about 30 years old. Each tree can sustain multiple taps, depending on the diameter of the tree. Rather than placing a bucket on each tap, they are connected by tubes that carry the sap to a collection tank. As production ceases each spring, workers go back and flush the lines with apple cider vinegar. They also plug the taps. The sap itself is thin, almost like water, and Hurst said it is potable and tastes like water with a hint of maple. "Because the freeze-thaw cycles are a little unpredictable in southern Indiana, we tapped the trees a little late this year on Feb. 15. But we've collected about 6,000 to 7,000 gallons of sap, which is about where we usually are this time of year," Hurst said. The holding tanks are then drained into larger tanks of more than 1,000 gallons for transport to the "sugar house." There, the sap is fed into the reverse osmosis machine to remove about 60 percent of the water before it's fed into the evaporator. At that point, the sap has gone from about two percent sugar to 10 percent. The process can be completed without reverse osmosis, but Hurst explained that removing most of the water before the sap is heated reduces the time it takes and the use of firewood for the evaporator. A 700-gallon tank holds the sap between the reverse osmosis process and the evaporator. The first area of the evaporator heats the sap. The sap then leaves the hooded pan and enters a flat pan to complete the last stage of the boiling process. The finished syrup is drawn off the flat pan at a temperature just seven degrees above the boiling point of water (212 degrees Fahrenheit). Along with a specific temperature, the syrup is also tested for a specific density with a hydrometer. The final stop in the process involves heating the syrup again to 180 degrees before it's bottled. LM Sugarbush LLC is a 140-acre family farm. Established in 1981 as Leane and Michael’s Sugarbush, the operation is host to the annual Maple Syrup Festival. Maple syrup is available year-round, and the farm is open by appointment only during the year. Leane and Michael's Sugarbush became LM Sugarbush LLC in October 2013. The business is owned and operated by Nicholas and Jennifer Reisenbichler and Robert and Emily Blackman. This year's festival is the farm's 29th annual. Hurst said it takes roughly 50 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup. Each tree yields roughly 10 gallons of syrup each season. Canada is the largest producer of maple syrup. Vermont is the largest producer in the U.S. Hurst said weather patterns farther north seem to be a bit more predictable. While it is getting a bit late for sap collection, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio host numerous maple syrup events and festivals, including: March 7 Maple Syrup Magic. Goodenow Grove Nature Preserve, 27064 Dutton Road, Beecher, Ill. Maple Syrup Festival, Argyle Lake State Park, 640 Argyle Park Road, Colchester, Ill. Maple Sugaring in Morris, 1000 Union St., Morris, Ill. Maple Syrup Time, Lincoln Memorial Garden and Nature Center, 2301 E. Lake Shore Drive, Springfield, Ill. Maple Syrup Days, McCloyd Nature Park, 8518 Hughes Road, North Salem, Ind. Maple Month: Maple Sugaring through the Ages, Lower Huron Metropark, 40151 E. Huron River Drive, Belleville, Mich. Maple Month: Maple Sugaring through the Ages, Oakwoods Metropark, 32911 Willow Road, Flat Rock, Mich. Making Maple Syrup Tours, Maybury Farm, 50165 Eight Mile Road, Northville, Mich. Maple Sweetness, Wolcott Mill Metropark, 63841 Wolcott Road, Romeo, Mich. Maple Sugaring, Stony Creek Metropark, 4300 Main Park Drive, Shelby Charter Township, Mich. Maple Syrup Time, Stage Nature Center, 6685 Coolidge Hwy. Troy, Mich. 2020 Maple Fest, Camp Lazarus, 4422 Columbus Pike, Delaware, Ohio Maple Syrup Festival, McLean Teddy Bear Park, 2004 N. Dixie Hwy., Lima, Ohio March 7-8 Salem Maple Syrup Festival ‑ Weekend II, LM Sugarbush LLC, 321 N. Garrison Hollow Road, Salem, Ind. Journey to the Sugar Bush, Hudson Mills Metropark, 8801 N. Territorial Road, Dexter, Mich. Maple Sweetness in Birmingham, Zazios, 1 Radisson Plaza Hotel, 100 W. Michigan Ave., Kalamazoo, Mich. Maple Sugar Festival, Kalamazoo Nature Center, 7000 N. Westnedge Ave., Kalamazoo, Mich. MSU Tollgate Farm Maple Tapping and Pancake Feast, MSU Tollgate Education Conference Center, 28115 Meadowbrook Road, Novi, Mich. Maple Sweetness, Wolcott Mill Historic Center, 64162 Kunstman Road, Ray, Mich. 54th Annual Maple Syrup Festival, Hueston Woods State Park, College Corner, Ohio Maple Syrup Festival, Malabar Farm State Park, 4050 Bromfield Road, Lucas, Ohio Maple Sugaring Weekends, Lake Metroparks Farmpark, 8800 Euclid Chardon Road, Kirtland, Ohio March 7-15 Maple Sugar Time, Indiana Dunes National Park Chellberg Farm, 709-747 N. Mineral Springs Road, Porter, Ind. March 8 Making Maple Syrup Tours, Maybury Farm, 50165 Eight Mile Road, Northville, Mich. Maple Sweetness, Wolcott Mill Metropark, 63841 Wolcott Road, Romeo, Mich. Maple Syrup Festival, Hueston Woods State Park, College Corner, Ohio March 9-10 Maple Sugaring in the Hocking Hills, Old Man's Cave Visitor Center, 19988 OH-664 Scenic, Logan, Ohio March 12 The Big 400 Maple Festival, Chelsea, Mich. |
