Indiana Maple Syrup2003 Season
200 Producers
Estimated production was 5000 gallons
Value of crop is estimated at $200,000
90% of crop is sold retail – mostly from the sugarhouse
Jeff Settle, IN Dept. of Forestry
Sap flow requires daytime temperatures at 40F or above and overnight temperatures below freezing.
Season begins about mid February and ends by mid to late March.
Opening and closing dates may vary by up to 2 wks from the southern to northern parts of the state
The average sugaring operation has 400 taps,
and it produces 80 gal of syrup
Jeff Settle, IN Dept. of Forestry
Jeff Settle, IN Dept. of Forestry
Most producers use buckets to collect the sap,
but about 30% of the syrup produced is now collected with tubing.
Sap is processed at the sugarhouse.
Some of these structures may be nearly a century old in multi-generational family operations.
They’re often located in the maple woods.
Finished syrup boils at approximately 219F.
Hot syrup leaves the evaporator and passes through an orlon filter to remove insoluble calcium salts that naturally occur in the sap.
Larger operations use a pressure filter that employs diatomaceous earth to accomplish the same purpose.
Small volumes of syrup may be packed in glass, plastic, or metal containers.
Larger quantities are packed in gallon, 5 gallon or even 55 gal containers.
Some Hoosier producers are exploring the production of value-added products such as maple sugar and maple cream.
Demonstration of sugar making during the 2002 meeting of the Indiana Maple Syrup Association