The Dawes Arboretum has been hosting our annual Maple Syrup Tours since the 1960’s. Our founders, Beman and Bertie Dawes, began by planting around 50 sugar maples on The Arboretum’s grounds. While these maples were too small to tap at the time, the planting of these showed the optimism our founders had. During our Maple Syrup Tour event, those very trees are used in demonstration.
For reference, it takes 40-50 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup. When maple sap is taken straight from the tap, it is only about two percent sugar and tastes mainly just like water. The best months historically to gather the sap is from late February through mid- March when the cold, frosty nights are matched by warmer (32 degree) days. A sugar maple tree must be at least 10” in diameter before it can be tapped for the first time. The taps are drilled into the tree at about chest height with holes about 2” or 3” deep. A spile is inserted to navigate the sap away from the trunk and into a container.
One tap in a tree will produce about 10-15 gallons of sap in one season. That will yield about one pint of finished syrup. So, if you own any sugar maples on your property, you too can make a bit of your own syrup!
The Beginning:
In 1917, Beman and Bertie Dawes moved to the farm that later would become The Dawes Arboretum. Some sugar maple trees already existed on the property, so they began making maple syrup for their own use and for gifting to friends. A year later, they planted 50 additional sugar maples in the old woods around the residence.
In 1920, the Dawes family built a cabin as a summer retreat. It was later converted into a sugar house by adding ventilation to the roof. Daweswood, as the farm was known, also had custom-made imprinted earthenware jugs that would hold the maple syrup when it was distributed as gifts. While those jugs are no longer produced, some still remain as reminders. I
1966, The Dawes Arboretum revived the Daweswood tradition and started our annual maple syrup tours up again.
Now:
Today, we continue this tradition of maple syrup tours on our grounds during the month of February. Tour guides lead guests down the Maple Syrup Trail while taking a walk through history and learning all about the sap gathering process. Then, guests will head over to the log cabin to take a look inside and view the different tools used over the years to make the maple syrup.
Join us this year on February 24, 2024 from 1 to 3pm for our annual Maple Syrup Tours. These tours are included with admission and will be first come, first served, with groups leaving every 15 minutes from 1 to 2:45pm. Click here to view the event.