Weather Conditions Perfect for Tapping Maple Syrup

DULUTH - In Duluth, there are private pieces of land with maple trees that are finally being tapped. It's that time of year where we're warm during the day when the sun is out, but still dip down to freezing at night. It turns out, this time of year makes for perfect conditions for tapping sap to make maple syrup. Deep into the quiet woods of Duluth, if you listen closely, you can hear sap drip from the trees, down the pipes, and into the stainless steel holding tank. Wayne Twight and his brother have been tapping the trees to make maple syrup for 20 years. They know from experience when snow starts to melt at the base of the trees, it's time to hang up their lines. "It'll run until it warms up enough and they just decide to shut off," Wayne Twight explained. Putting in 327 taps and connecting 10 acres of piping didn't happen overnight. Twight has been digging out the lines every couple of days. Once he was shoveled out, Duluth got a foot of snow. According to the experienced Twight brothers, record-breaking snow and cold doesn't make the end product any less sweet. An early spring can make a world of difference when it comes to taste."We don't like the buddy taste,” Twight said. “When they start budding we start pulling the taps out." To make a 12 ounce bottle of pure maple syrup, it takes nearly four gallons of boiled down sap. From tree to bottle, it takes at least four days. For the Twight’s, making maple syrup in northern Minnesota is just a hobby, but they believe once you try their stuff, you'll never go back. “Aunt Jemima isn't maple syrup,” Twight laughed. “It's sugar with some flavoring in it.”