Where there are maple trees, locals tap trees and make maple syrup, mostly for their own use since large stands of maples aren’t really common. How do they know when the sap is running? When the temperature is above freezing (in the 40s or 50s) during the day, but still freezing at night. Every year is different.
A Family Tradition
For Ryan, Liz Ahrendt, and their five daughters, making maple syrup is a family affair, an excuse to be outside, and a way for Ryan to pass on a family tradition.
Before his parents bought Half Moon Trail Resort, they had a small acreage near Walker and Hackensack and tapped maple trees there. Ryan was 10 when they moved to the resort north of Park Rapids where there were a few soft maples. He explains that people say hard maples are better in the ratio of sap to get a gallon of maple syrup, but that hasn’t been his experience. For every 50 to 60 gallons of sap the family collects, they get a gallon of maple syrup.
The Process
The gathering starts with tapping 30 to 35 trees and hanging buckets underneath. Ryan describes his setup as “a little bit redneck.” It’s all outdoors. He stacks concrete blocks 16 to 18 inches high as the foundation for a grate about 2 feet wide and 6 feet long, with a chimney at the end to draw out the smoke. Their evaporator is a row of buffet pans, and they boil 80 or 90 gallons of sap a day.
Here’s where his daughters, ages 11 to one and a half, come in. They love collecting the sap and tasting its slight sweetness as they go from tree to tree. They dump the liquid into a 55-gallon barrel and once the barrel is moved close to the fire, they keep adding sap as the water evaporates.
When they’re done, the Ahrendt family has four to six gallons of deliciousness they use for themselves and give to family and friends.
Ryan grew up with this tradition and all that goes with coming of age at a family resort. His parents operated Half Moon Trail Resort for 20 years and now he and Liz have owned it for 10 as they watch their children grow and learn about lake life and northern traditions like gathering maple syrup.
Throughout the area, dozens of other families are tapping trees and doing their own version of small-scale harvesting of goodness for their pancakes, baking, and other flavorful food. Happy Harvesting!
Excellent options to find fresh, local maple syrup in the Heartland Lakes area are listed below. Click on the links for more info:
Photo Credit: Michaela Ahrendt Photography