The final product: Indiana maple syrup

Some people have a sweet tooth; and then there is Don Bickel.

The retired forester enjoys sweets so much that his craving ultimately requires the work of five families, 80 acres of forest, 285 buckets and the equivalent of a swimming pool full of tree sap to satisfy.  The end result of this trouble and toil is arguably Indiana‘s most delicious agricultural product: maple syrup.

Starting on Valentine’s Day and ending “when it becomes work,” Bickel and his extended family operate a private maple syrup “camp” near Hillsboro in west-central Indiana.  However, Bickel is not so utterly unique because producers across the state are currently in the midst of the Indiana maple syrup season.

In the "Sugar Bush"

Maple syrup production is actually more widespread than many Hoosiers realize.  The Indiana Division of Forestry estimates that there were 175 known sugar producers scattered among 57 counties in 2004.  However, even though syrup production is very widespread, the total output for Indiana was only slightly over 5000 gallons of finished product.  This is the lowest total among states where records are kept and a far cry from 1916 when Indiana was first among states, according to the Indiana Maple Syrup Association.

Regardless of our minor-league status in terms of volume, maple syrup time is a generations-old tradition in Indiana.  Starting every fall, syrup producers like Bickel begin marking sugar maple trees for tapping, cleaning up gear and otherwise prepare for a hectic three or four weeks starting in mid-February.

Bickel started making syrup 30 years ago, across the road from his present location.  “My first attempt was using a galvanized washtub over a wood fire,” he remembered.  “I then graduated to my kids’ metal sandbox.”  Don’s son Mark commented on the improvised sugar camps, saying it “looked like they were running a still back in the woods.”

Buckets gather maple sap

The process of making syrup starts with the sugar maple (Acer saccharrum) tree.  Shallow holes are drilled in the tree and hollow tubes known as “spiles” are inserted.  Once the late-winter weather reaches a consistent pattern of below-freezing nights followed by warmer days near 40 degrees, sap begins to drip from the spiles.  At this stage, the sap is less than two percent sugar and barely sweet to the tongue if dipped from the icy cold collection buckets.

Most small-scale producers like Bickel collect the slow but steady drip in buckets that are emptied every day or two into larger collection tanks pulled behind a tractor along muddy logging trails through the forest.

The sap is then hauled to the “sugar shack” where it is boiled, a fuel-intensive and humidity-laden process requiring fifty gallons of sap to be evaporated in order to make a single gallon of golden syrup.

Boiling maple syrup is steamy business

Inside the shack, the sap boils in a series of large shallow pans over a wood fire, releasing water through a large opening in the roof known as the “doghouse.”  Eventually, by the last pan, the natural sugar has been concentrated to the proper consistency and is cooled prior to bottling.  While there are other, more efficient shortcuts used by large producers, the majority of Indiana sugar camps use this highly traditional method of syrup making.

Bickel says that this has been a banner year, perhaps the best since 2001, when Indiana produced nearly 10,000 gallons of syrup.  However, with the typically unstable Hoosier weather, most years see an average around 4000 to 5000 gallons.  The annual production from Bickel’s camp is only 35 gallons, still impressive when you consider the 1800 gallons of sap that must be processed.

Boiling syrup

During the short syrup season, work is demanding.  “We go 12 hours most days, sun up to sun down,” Bickel says.  Family members contribute to the effort of cutting firewood, tapping trees, gathering sap and boiling.  After deducting the landowner’s portion of the syrup that serves as rent, the remainder of the annual production is divided among those who contributed to the effort.  None is sold.  “That (selling syrup) is just too much work.  I’m retired, remember?”  Bickel adds with a shake of the head.

Anthony “Tony” Kochert and his brother Jim often help at the sugar camp.  A typical workday involves tending the syrup, stoking the wood fire under the pans and tending to the general maintenance needs of the shack.

Asked why he volunteers for such strenuous work that only pays with a few gallons of something that could be purchased at the supermarket, Tony Kochert doesn’t give a second thought.  “It’s just havin’ fun,” he says, pausing from his job of ladling syrup from one pan to another, adding “It’s an enjoyable get-together for the family”  Kochert pauses then shrugs and gives quizzical look as if to add ‘is there a better reason?’  He then resumes his chore, cloaked in fragrant steam as the wind changes direction outside.

Don Bickel tests the syrup

Visitors to the sugar shack find a smorgasbord for the senses.  The air inside is heavy with the smell of boiling sap, wood smoke, the tang of split firewood and the clean smell of the surrounding woods.  The ramshackle-looking house was intentionally built with good ventilation which allows raw wind-driven outside air to mix with the steam inside, making the sugar shack a constantly swirling blend of warm, cold, dry and humid.  A few comfortable chairs near the warm end of the firebox beckon visitors.  There are plenty.

In the too-short morning hours, Bickel has constant stream of guests and small groups that range from neighbors to old friends who have driven a distance to see the operation.  Sometimes, there are even larger groups: the local fire department.

Drivers on the nearby highway often report a fire when the see the huge cloud of steam rising from the roof of the building.  Now, when Bickel and his crew hear sirens coming, they automatically walk out to the road and wave at the volunteer fireman.

Keeping the syrup boiling is back-breaking work

As the stream of visitors to Bickel’s camp shows, tourism plays an important supporting role to the Hoosier maple syrup industry.  The  weekend in question coincided with the annual Parke County Maple Fair.  The well-known event draws swarms of visitors into the western Indiana County for maple camp tours, sightseeing, crafts and other activities.  Several other sugar camps throughout the state also offer tours and other events during syrup making time.

While Bickel is devoted to his demanding hobby, he also keeps the whole operation in perspective.  When visitors inquire as to how long the maple syrup run will last, he answers “until Saturday.  Then I’m going to Florida!”

After all, Don Bickel is retired and making too much syrup would closely resemble work.

[Show as slideshow]

Bookmark It

Hide Sites