Maple Sugaring in Michigan
So, maple syrup comes from a tree—how does that work?
From Indigenous knowledge to modern methods
To understand today’s maple sugar season, it helps to look back. According to Anishinaabe teachings, Nanabozho showed the people how to make sugar from maple sap by collecting it in mokuk (birch bark containers) and boiling away the water with stones heated in the fire. This knowledge laid the foundation for the maple sugaring traditions we know today across Turtle Island (a name many Indigenous peoples use for North America).
As Europeans began moving into the area, they learned about this valuable gift through trade and interactions with the Anishinaabe and adopted the practice in their own lives. With the help of more modern technologies—such as cast iron kettles, metal drills, and wooden gathering buckets—early settlers were able to improve efficiency while producing both maple syrup and maple sugar.
How maple syrup is made today
As the years went by and the process was passed down through generations, it became even more efficient. Today, modern commercial evaporators can process over 100 gallons of sap per hour. On top of that, many producers use reverse osmosis to remove 50–75% of the water, reducing the fuel needed to finish the syrup.
Did you know?
It takes about 40 gallons of sap to produce just one gallon of maple syrup.
Maple Sugar Time at ODC
The Outdoor Discovery Center’s operation in the sugarbush consists of 75–100 taps and a 2’ x 6’ wood-fired evaporator housed in a sugarhouse built by volunteers in 2006 with community support. Average syrup production is 20–25 gallons per year, which depends entirely on weather conditions as we transition from winter to spring.
Rooted in Community
Maple sugar season has always been a time rich in community, as many hands make light work. Families would gather in the sugarbush to collect, boil, and share the rewards of their labor. For twenty sugar seasons now, we have invited the Holland community to join us in our sugarbush at VanRaalte Farm Park to take part in the sap-to-syrup experience at Maple Sugar Time. Thousands of families have helped haul sap, stack firewood, and share the joy of zisbakwet (maple syrup) on vanilla ice cream.
Want to experience maple sugaring firsthand?
Join us for Maple Sugar Time at Van Raalte Farm Park.