Tap Tap Maple keeps the syrup flowing
Ferman Wengerd, owner of Ayrdell Farm and Tap Tap Maple, shows a group of students how they drill into a maple tree to tap into the sap that will soon be boiled down into delicious maple syrup.
Have you ever looked closely at a spider web?
Upon closer inspection, spider webs consist of an intricate number of silk lines that are interconnected with a single purpose.
If a person were to take a drone high above the trees at Ferman and Fannie Wengerd’s Ayrdell Farm and Tap Tap Maple just off of state Route 515 north of Trail and take a photo, it might look a lot like that series of lines in a spider web.
That is because the 2 miles of tubing that creates the pathway for the maple tree sap to flow to the collection center branches out throughout the woods, allowing the sap gleaned from the trees to eventually turn into the auburn, rich maple syrup that continues to be a mainstay in breakfasts everywhere.
The tubing was installed by Freeman Wengerd and a hired hand over the years, and the three-year project connects the tubing to taps throughout the woods, and the system does all of the work in creating Tap Tap Maple’s product.
In addition to the main system, there are smaller systems that will add up to around 5 miles of tubing.
“The best days of my life is to leave my cell phone at home and get out in the woods to work on the sap lines,” Ferman Wengerd said. “There’s a real peacefulness that accompanies that, and every day I get to do that is a great day.”
He said they will begin tapping the trees within the next month or so and prepare for the sap season, which takes place during the winter months of late January through March.
The couple was recently involved with the Tom Graham 5th Grade Farm Tour, and they were eager to share as much knowledge about the maple syrup industry as possible with the youngsters because they believe through these children the industry can live on.
“It’s my passion, and somebody, someday needs to take this on,” Ferman Wengerd said. “It’s amazing to watch the process and see how it works, and we enjoy sharing that with the kids because they are always fascinated.”
The couple said once the sap begins to flow, they welcome families and school kids to the farm to experience the actual process of the maple syrup’s journey from tree to tank to bottle.
He said they even built a platform with lighting near the collection tank, so kids and adults can visit and watch the process.
He said he has seen the entire process dump 600 gallons of sap an hour into the collection tank, but that 600 gallons of sap doesn’t equate to anywhere close to that much syrup.
“That’s only about 10-12 gallons of syrup,” Ferman Wengerd said. “That gets me excited to see it pumping like that.”
He said when the sap really starts flowing, the system can fill the tank easily on a daily basis, and sometimes even quicker.
He said temperatures are the great determiner of how quickly the sap flows during winter. Anything below freezing it shuts down, so any time the temperature rises above that, it means more to do.
Wengerd said the task of checking the spa lines is an ongoing effort because any type of hole in the system, often caused by squirrels chewing on the lines, will discontinue the vacuum process that flows all the sap into the collection tank.
“When that happens, it simply won’t draw, so I’m quick to watch that gauge,” Wengerd said. “That’s the first thing I check each morning.”
Once the sap is collected, it goes to the sugar shack, where the real magic takes place and the syrup is boiled down into the rich, sweet maple syrup that almost everyone enjoys.
He said a 45 F day is ideal for gathering and cooking the sap, and the colder it gets, the slower the flow. He said when it becomes one of those hot 70 F days that crop up at times during winter, the sap runs so fast they have to quickly move it to the sugar shack and get it boiling because the heat will make it sour quickly.
“We love it when it drops to 20 at night and rises to 45 degrees in the day,” Wengerd said. “Those are the times to shine. Hot days are especially important to keep up with the flow. Once we get it in the shack, we can control the temperature, so it’s vital we get it moved quickly from the tank into the shack.”
Wengerd said anyone wishing to stop by to see the system and have it explained or just watch it work can call ahead at 330-231-7823 to make an appointment.
In addition to the syrup, the Wengerds also grow corn and hay, and Ferman Wengerd said he is equally passionate about all aspects of his farm including the joy of walking out into the quiet of nature and listening to the cow bells of his cattle roaming the fields.
Either way, the couple said being out in nature and embracing what God has blessed them with makes what they are doing not just a job, but also a joy.