At Southwell Sugar Shack, making maple syrup is more than just a job—it’s a way of life. From the first light of dawn to late into the night, every step of the process requires dedication, precision, and a deep appreciation for the craft. Here is what a typical day of boiling maple syrup looks like for our size of operation.
5:30 AM – Turning on the Reverse Osmosis
The day begins early with the start-up of our reverse osmosis (RO) system. This machine removes about 80% of the excess water from our raw maple sap, drastically reducing the time required for boiling. It typically takes 10 to 12 hours to complete the process, so getting the RO running first thing in the morning is crucial.
6:00 AM – Checking the Sap Storage Tanks
We inspect all our sap storage tanks, making sure everything is functioning properly and that all valves are turned in the correct direction. A small mistake here could mean a lot of lost sap!
8:00 AM – System Check
Every two to three hours we check our reverse osmosis system and sap tanks to ensure everything is running smoothly. The last thing we want is to lose valuable concentrated sap due to a mechanical issue.
8:15 AM - 2:45 PM – Odd Jobs around our Sugar Bush
While the RO system does its job, we stay busy with other tasks around the sugar shack. Some days that means heading into the woods to check for leaks in our tubing system while on others it means working in the sugar house to repair equipment or staying in the commercial kitchen to make and package our maple products. More often than not, it involves a lot of cleaning—keeping everything in top condition is key to producing the highest-quality syrup.
3:00 PM – Preparing for the Boil
As the afternoon rolls on, it’s time to get ready for the main event: boiling. We fill our cart with wood for our wood-fired evaporator, open the steam vents, clean the RO system, and bring in empty steel drums to store the fresh syrup.
4:00 PM – Lighting the Fire
With everything prepped, we light the fire in our commercial evaporator. From that moment on, we feed the evaporator with fresh wood every ten minutes to maintain the perfect temperature for boiling.
4:30 PM – The First Draw of Syrup
As the sap boils and begins to thicken, we begin drawing off our first batches of warm, rich maple syrup. Throughout the entire boil, we meticulously monitor our evaporator pans to ensure the sap isn’t foaming over and that the syrup reaches the correct density.
4:45 PM – 9:15 Pm – Add Wood, Check Syrup, Repeat
In between adding wood, we will be checking the syrup as it comes off the evaporator to ensure it is always the correct density. The length of a boil for our size of operation depends on how much sap we’ve collected. Some days, we might boil for just four hours. On bigger days, we might be boiling for seven hours or more.
9:30 PM – Winding Down
As the last of the concentrated sap runs into the evaporator, we begin reducing the fire by adding less wood, allowing the flames to die down naturally.
10:00 PM – The Final Drops
The last few drops of syrup trickle off the evaporator. We filter, grade, and check the density and clarity of the fresh, hot syrup, then pump it into steel drums, sealing the top to ensure every batch is stored properly. With the boil complete, we tackle one final round of cleaning—scrubbing down all surfaces, washing the floors, and cleaning the equipment and sap tanks.
10:30 PM – Lights Off, Rest Well
After a long, rewarding day, it’s finally time to turn off the lights and head home for some well-earned rest. Although the days of boiling maple syrup are long and a lot of hard work, it is a continued tradition that that our family has looked forward to for four generations.
Being a sugar maker is no easy task, but there’s nothing quite like the satisfaction of seeing clear sap transform into golden maple syrup—nature’s sweetest gift, crafted with care at Southwell Sugar Shack.
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