Tap My Trees Maple Sugaring at Home Book

Make maple syrup at home! The ultimate guide for the maple sugaring hobbyist. This guide will walk you through each step of the maple sugaring process, from identifying your maple trees to boiling the sap into maple syrup, and everything in between. A must read for anyone looking to start tapping maple trees at home.


Collecting maple sap is a green, environmentally sustainable process that can be enjoyed by anyone with a healthy, mature maple tree.

The process of tapping maple trees, collecting the sap, and making maple syrup (one of the many uses of maple sap) is actually quite simple. It does, however, take some time and a willingness to get outdoors and experience this miracle of nature (literally tapping into Mother Nature).

Preparation (Summer & Fall)

-Identify your maple trees
-Obtain the equipment needed to tap trees

Tapping Trees (Winter - February - March)
-When to tap maple trees
-Select maple trees to tap
-Clean equipment
-Gather equipment
-Tap the tree
-Hang the bucket and attach lid

Collect Sap & Make Syrup (February - March - April)
-Transfer sap from buckets to storage containers
-Storing your sap
-Process sap into maple syrup and other uses
-When to stop collecting saps

Cleanup (Spring)

-Remove spiles (taps), buckets, and lids from trees
-Clean equipment
-Store equipment for next year