In 2004, Shepherd's Corner made its first-ever batch of maple syrup. Self-taught syrup expert David Clay worked with intern Adam Hoppe to produce the delicious treat. Trees were tapped in mid-February and gave sap until mid-March. Dave and Adam collected the sap and concentrated it in large boiling pans over an outdoor arch desigend by Dave. Boiling a batch of sap takes all day, since 40 gallons of sap go into making 1 gallon of syrup!
Throughout the process, Adam and Dave measured the temperature of the boiling sap: as the concentration of sugar increases, so does the boiling point of the liquid. When all was said and done, Shepherd's Corner produced 6 gallons of syrup, having tapped only 10 sugar maples to do so! The trees will heal over the summer and be ready to tap again next year.
Pictures from a boiling day:
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