Syrup takes some patience

But you can learn how to make it at this event in Boardman.
BOARDMAN -- If you're interested in making maple syrup, it's a sweet idea to stick to the Rule of 86.
The rule calculates the number of gallons of sap needed to make a gallon of syrup.
Start by dividing 86 by the sap's brix value, usually around two. That means 43 gallons of sap are required for each gallon of syrup.
The brix scale on a hydrometer indicates the weight of sugar per volume of solution at a given temperature.
Hydrometers and other key ingredients for syrup were abundant at Saturday's Maple Syrup Festival in Boardman Township Park.
Turnout at the event, sponsored by the Boardman Rotary Club, was low because of slippery roads and temperatures in the low 30s, said Pete Cordon, a park groundskeeper.
Treated to the process
Nevertheless, those hearty enough to brave the biting wind and occasional moderate snow were treated to the process of how the syrup is made. Inside one of the park's pavilions, Cordon stood next to a stainless-steel evaporator molded onto the top of a stove. Periodically, he checked the liquid's water and temperature levels, and took time to explain the procedure to those who inquired.
A nearby table held tools of the trade, including taps and spiles used to extract sap from trees.
Cordon demonstrated how the sap, which looks like water, is placed into a warming trough. From there, it flows through a pipe into one of the evaporator's four compartments, where the liquid is boiled away, leaving the natural sugar.
Cordon said the syrup has a sugar content of about 66 percent. After the substance thickens and hangs off a spoon or reaches its boiling point of 217 degrees, the material is put through a funnel to seep into a mason jar, he said.
Time needed
The right consistency is important, and it takes about five hours to make a gallon of syrup, he said.
Cordon noted that late winter and early spring is usually the best time "to pull sap from trees" because of the transitional weather patterns typical in Northeast Ohio. Generally, mid-February through early April is ideal for extraction because warm days and cold nights above and below 32 degrees, respectively, are needed.
Dick Samples, a former park employee and volunteer for the event, noted that the syrup contains fructose and other natural sugars and that no refined sugar is included. The syrup is safe for those with diabetes, he said.
The festival continues from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in the park.