It’s time to hunt that maple tree you have marked for tapping on your map. In order for you to have the most fantastic maple tree tapping this year, all you have to do is organize yourself and the order of the tree you are going to tap. Here are some of the tips you may want to remember when you start collecting those sweet saps from the maple trunks.

• Select your maples and order them according to their sugar content. Start with the ones with the highest sugar content, like sugar maples, and then proceed to black, red, and silver maples.
• Go for more mature maple trees. Those maple trees on the sidewalks are not recommended. The best maple saps come from naturally-grown maple trees in the lawn.
• Select maple trees that have been grown in places with enough sunlight. The more photosynthesis happening on the tree, the more sap it can produce.
• You can tap a maple tree for two or three times, but this depends on the size of the trunk. If you have a regular-sized maple trunk (12-20 inches), you can insert only one tap. 21-27 inches can be inserted for two taps, and maple trunks greater than 27 inches in diameter can have three taps at one time.
• Use clean equipment for collecting maple saps. Dirty, rusty, and corroded equipment may contaminate your harvested sap, and this could deem it inconsumable.

If you think you have done it all, it is time for you to tap that maple tree you’ve been wanting to tap all year round. Drill the hole in the bark, insert the spile, and have your bucket, lid and cheesecloth attached properly before hooking the container onto the hook in the maple tap. Make sure nothing can contaminate the sap before you leave it behind for some time.