1 of 38

History and Practice of Maple Sugaring

Russ, Margo and Scott Hanson

Hanson Maple Sugarbush

Maple sugaring in WI for over 150 years

2 of 38

Vocabulary

  • Maple Words
  • Tap: to drill a hole in the tree and insert a spile
  • Spile: (another name for a tap)
  • Run: A few days each season when the sap really runs a lot
  • Sap, Syrup, Sugar --what is the difference?

​

3 of 38

Sugar Maples on the Seidemann Farm? 1859 Farmington Map

4 of 38

1837 Surveyor map and notes

5 of 38

Surveyor Notes

6 of 38

Maple sugar vs Syrup

  • Cooking sap to approximately 7 degrees above the boiling point of water makes pure maple syrup.
  • Liquids are harder to store than solids. Adding water turns it back to syrup.

​

  • Cooking sap to approximately to approximately 26 degrees about the boiling point of water makes maple sugar.
  • Most maple was sugar into the early 20th century.

7 of 38

Original Methods

8 of 38

Birchbark and wood

9 of 38

10 of 38

Trader brought metal kettles

11 of 38

Native Americans

12 of 38

Spiles from the past

13 of 38

County Fair Maple Poster

14 of 38

Tapping hole size

  • Native Americans 12 inch gashes in tree
  • 1800s One Inch tap 64/64
  • 1900s ½ inch tap 32/64
  • 1950s 7/16 inch tap 28/64
  • 2000 5/16 inch tap 20/64
  • Spiles available now 19/64��Trend to Smaller Holes

15 of 38

Sugar Bush Maple Grove �Barron County Hansons 1900

16 of 38

Hanson Sugarbush 1920s

17 of 38

1950s on the Hanson Farm

18 of 38

19 of 38

Orr Lake Sugarbush 2003

20 of 38

21 of 38

22 of 38

23 of 38

24 of 38

25 of 38

26 of 38

Finishing

27 of 38

Maple Sugarbush Cabin

28 of 38

First Sugar Shack

29 of 38

Brother Everett and Margo in the old Sugar Shack

30 of 38

New Sap Shed in 2009

31 of 38

32 of 38

33 of 38

34 of 38

Sap often runs after snow falls

35 of 38

Hanson Maple 2022

36 of 38

Scott Leads the Co Fair Syrup Judging Panel 2019 – 32 samples

37 of 38

38 of 38

Questions