It Starts With a Seed: Maple Syrup

Written By: Jana Daniels
Edited By: Thomas Lusa
Designed By: Andria Sahar
Published By: Andrew Jackson

Canada is often known for its maple syrup. It goes great with pancakes, coffee, or even as a drizzle for some delicious ice cream! But how is maple syrup made? This is precisely what we’re going to take a look at today.

The process starts with a seed. A maple seed is called a samara, which is also considered a fruit. The seed pod found under the outer covering of the samara is edible. The samara is also called a helicopter seed. This is because it spins to the ground from the maple tree or is carried by the wind to disperse and reproduce itself. Once the samara finds its way onto the soil, the life cycle begins again.

The next phase is the seedling phase. Maple seedlings are typically very tolerant of various soil types and conditions. They can adapt quickly to disturbance such as cutting and burning. Some seeds don’t start germination until the second year of life, such as seeds from the red maple.

After that, is the sapling stage. In this stage, many species of the maple grow rapidly, though the exact time differs for each type. For example, red maples reach close to their full height in eight weeks, whereas the sugar maple takes around 16 weeks in this rapid growth phase. These are the two trees we are going to take a closer look at.

Then, the maple tree is now at its maturity stage. During this period, growth slows down. It takes around 140 to 150 years for the sugar maple to reach its full length, but the tree may continue to grow and width. Old-growth” sugar maples may be as old as 400 years. The sugar maple’s typical mature height ranges from 70 to 110 feet. Red maples reach maturity in 70 to 80 years. It is rare for red maples to live longer than 150 years. Mature trees are typically somewhere around 75 feet in height.

In the summer, the trees build reserves of sugar with the process of photosynthesis. This sugary sap is raised to the top of the tree in spring by flow (known as sap flow) that is caused by the rise in temperature from winter to spring, and pressure changes within the tree.

Fun fact: Canada is the world’s leading producer and exporter of maple products, accounting for 75 percent of the global market.

Once trees reach the maturity stage, they can be tapped. They are usually tapped in winter or early spring. Tapping a tree is inserting a spout into the tree to collect the sap from the tree. The sweet-water sap is collected and boiled down from a liquid to a thick and sugary syrup, evaporating the water. This process concentrates the sugars and flavors. This sap is a different kind of sap from the circulatory sap. Circulatory sap flows through the tree and escapes from any holes in the sapwood. It is made of water and other substances taken from the soil by the roots. It also has sugars and growth hormones produced by the leaves.

The sap continues to boil until it reaches a sugar concentration of approximately 67%. When it does, it has transformed into maple syrup. The boiling stage can take several hours. The syrup is then filtered to remove any impurities that may have formed during boiling.

Fun fact: The later in spring the tree is tapped, the darker and more caramelized the syrup is.

The final step is to bottle the syrup while it is still hot to ensure that it remains sealed and free from bacteria. This bottled syrup is sent to different companies and eventually makes its way into stores, and markets. There, consumers (like us!) can buy some of the maple syrup for our use. And to think… It all starts with a seed.

Types of Maples native to Ontario:

Black Maple – Acer nigrum
Red Maple – Acer rubrum
Silver Maple – Acer saccharinum
Sugar Maple – Acer saccharum
Bigleaf Maple – Acer macrophyllum
Mountain Maple – Acer spicatum
Striped Maple – Acer pensylvanicum
Douglas Maple – Acer glabrum
Vine Maple – Acer circinatum
Manitoba Maple – Acer negundo

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