For many of you in northern climates, sugaring season is in late February thru varying parts of March. Most of you will be going to our local syrup producers to pick up some of that sweet liquid. We all know sap is boiled down into syrup and the latter is usually only considered to be of value for consumption. But did you know sap is pretty amazing itself as an addition to your winter diet?
Sap is primarily water with only 2% of its composition being sugar (contrary to what many people imagine and thus why it takes some 40 gallons or so of it to make 1 gallon of maple syrup). One healthy sugar maple can be expected to produce about 10 gallons of sap during a regular season.
Sap contains a wide array of dissolved minerals, salts, and proteins that is fuel for the tree’s new growth. It is a wonderful tonic that lasts in the fridge for up to a week, not to mention it’s one of the cleanest sources of water available. So if you have some sugar maples at your disposal look into tapping them and utilizing the natural windfall that is sap!