![]() To make pure maple syrup, the sap will be boiled to evaporate most of the water. Sap from the sugar maple tree is about 98 percent water and two percent sugar, other nutrients and minerals. Many years ago, farmers would have traveled through the woods, stopping at each tree and manually dumping each keeler into a large tank. ![]() Today, the sap flows from the spile, through plastic tubing and is deposited in a large tank. “Keeler” is a term specific to Somerset County, influenced by the German immigrant population. The sap drips from the spile and into a keeler, a bucket that hangs from a hook on the spile. Spiles were originally made of wood, eventually metal and now plastic. Maple camp farmers or “sugarmakers” tap the maple trees by drilling a hole for a spout, also known as a spile. Generally, maple season runs from mid-February to early April, weather permitting. It is ideal to start the tapping process in early spring, when days are warm and nighttime temperatures are below freezing. That alternating weather cycle, from freezing to thawing, is what changes the atmospheric pressure in the trees to allow sap to flow out of them. Springtime weather in the Laurel Highlands is ideal because of its cold nights and warm days. ![]() In order to produce maple sugar, there needs to be an abundance of maple trees and the perfect climate. With many maple camps currently operated by seventh and eighth-generation families, Somerset County takes great pride in the tradition of tapping maple trees and producing maple syrup and other goodies. 23, 2022) – In the southeastern corner of Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands, Somerset County is tops in the state for maple production.
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