Terminology

Arch

The stand used to hold the evaporator pans. A fire of wood or fule oil is burned underneath to boil the sap.

Evaporator

A set of large shallow metal pans used to boil sap into syrup.

Finishing Pan

A pan used to turn very concentrated sap into "finished" syrup.

Flue Pan

An evaporator pan used to boil sap. It usually has deep channels in the bottom to allow more heat to boil the sap. Also called a sap or back pan.

Hydrometer

Equipment used to measure the sugar content of sap or syrup.

Refractometer

Equipment used to measure the sugar content of sap or syrup.

Run

When the sap is flowing.

Sap

The liquid exuded from a wound in a tree.

Spile/Spout

A tube pounded into a tap hole in a tree so that syrup can drain from the tree. Spiles may have a hook to hold a bucket.

Sugar Bush

A stand of sugar maple trees that are capable of being tapped.

Sugar House

A building with equipment to turn maple sap into syrup.

Sugarsand

Material that is produced by boiling sap into syrup. It can be either somewhat slimy or very gritty. Syrup Sap that has been boiled until it is 66% sugar or higher.

Syrup Pan

An evaporator pan used to further refine concentrated sap. Syrup pans cook the sap slowly to prevent burning. Also called flat or front pan.

Tap

The hole put in a tree to extract sap.

Tank

Piece of equipment used to store sap.

Tubing

Long tubes attached to spouts allowing sap to flow to a collection tank.