From Sap to Syrup

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From Sap to Syrup at the Sullivan Farm

On a crisp February morning, the third grade classes traveled to the Sullivan Farm in New Milford to learn how maple sugar and maple syrup are made. It was a very cold day, but we all braved the weather to watch Mr. LaFontan of the New Milford Youth Agency act out the story of how maple syrup may have been discovered by the Native Americans.

Mr. LaFontan explained that Native Americans cooked sap by placing hot rocks into the liquid to make it boil. This would make the water evaporate and, in the end, leave a maple sugar behind that was easy for them to store.

He next showed the children a large iron cauldron and told them how the early settlers used it to make the job of cooking the sap easier.

The children were also able to see sap boiling in a very large pan that was used in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.

In the main sugar shed, the students saw the big evaporator that is now being used by the Youth Agency to boil the sap that they collect from local maple trees. The children learned that a hydrometer measures the thickness of the syrup and that a lot of hard work goes into the maple syrup process. One truly amazing fact is that 40 gallons of sap equal one gallon of syrup! Each child was given a sample of syrup to taste and everyone agreed that it was delicious!

Back in the classroom, Sugar on Snow, by Nan Parson Rossiter, was read to the children and thank you notes were written to
Mr. LaFontan.

Kent Center School 9 Judd Avenue, P.O. Box 219, Kent CT 06757 860-927-3537
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	April 21, 2004	Copyright © 2003 Kent Center School All Rights Reserved.