Maple Syrup

1. Maple Syrup

2. History of Maple Syrup • A Chief threw his tomahawk into a sugar maple tree trunk • The sap started to run down the bark from the cut • Thinking the clear sap was water, the Chief’s wife poured it in with some meat she was cooking • As the water boiled away, a sticky sweet glaze formed on the meat, adding a wonderfully sweet maple flavor

3. The Story Lives On • Native Peoples continued to boil down the sap every spring • Early explorers record maple sugar as the only source of energy sustaining Native Peoples over long hard winter months • Settler came with metal tools and drilled small holes in the trees and traded the Native Peoples wooden troughs for buckets with covers • As maple sugaring evolved, arches were built containing the heat. Buildings to house the ‘boilers’ was the next step • Sugarhouses today still resemble those structures

4. Preparing for Maple Syrup • In February, the sugarmakers tap the trees. • After the taphole is drilled, a spout with a bucket and hook or bag is placed in the hole • March and April is sugaring season!

5. Sugaring Season • The warmer temperatures coax sugar maple trees to turn stored starch back into sugar • Sap is made as the tree mixes ground water with the sugar. • Sap is mostly crystal clear water with about 2% sugar. • 40 gallons of sap to make a gallon of maple syrup • Sugaring season lasts about 4-6 weeks • Must be below freezing at night and about 40-45 degrees during the day

6. Watching the sugaring process…. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVXeBOl4fXY • Making Maple Syrup Part II • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tidds7_gDM

7. That’s a little about Maple Syrup!

8. Christmas Trees

9. Quick Facts • Approximately 25-30 million Real Christmas Trees are sold in the U.S. every year • Almost 350 million currently growing on Christmas Tree farms in the U.S. • Grown in all 50 states • For every tree harvested, 1 to 3 seedlings are planted the following spring • About 15,000 farms growing trees and over 100,000 people employed by the industry • Average growing time is 7 years

10. Quick Facts • Top producing states include: • Oregon, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Washington • Most common species are: • Balsam fir, Douglas fir, Fraser fir, noble fir, Scotch pine, Virginia pine and white pine • First written record of decorated tree was in 1510 • In the 1800s, the Christmas Tree was introduced to the U.S. by German settlers

11. Christmas Trees in WI • 1387 farms with over 36,000 acres of trees • About 1.8 million trees are harvested annually and over 600,000 wreaths and garland made each year • The economic impact of the Christmas tree industry is over $50 million annually • Wisconsin ranks #5 in number of trees harvested • An acre of Christmas trees provides for the daily oxygen requirements of 18 people

12. Careers in Christmas Trees • Seasonal work includes: • Tree planters in the spring • Shearing crews to prune the branches • Harvesting crews in the fall • Salespeople from Thanksgiving until Christmas • Wreath and decoration makers • Crop consultants • Growers

13. More facts • To ready for harvest: each tree is cut, shaken to remove dead needles and then baled using a machine which presses the branches against the trunk • The net or twine used to bale the trees help protect the tree and make it easier to handle for shipping • Some plant small trees in pots • The trees are renewable and help stabilize soil, protect water supplies and provide refuge for wildlife • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OU9GBgD_fKY

14. Be Prepared for a quiz on Apples, Maple Syrup and Christmas Trees tomorrow