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Good News from Franklin County Career Technical School!
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Franklin County Technical School Students Collect Tree Sap to Make Maple Syrup
March 10, 2023 Jordan Mayblum Client News, School News
Students in the Landscaping and Horticulture program at Franklin County Technical School have been collecting sap from maple trees around campus and boiling it to make maple syrup. (Photo Courtesy Franklin County Technical School)
TURNERS FALLS — Over the last several weeks, students in the Landscaping and Horticulture program at Franklin County Technical School have been collecting sap from maple trees around campus and boiling it to make maple syrup.
“It has been a truly enjoyable experience to watch our Landscaping and Horticulture students take charge of this project,” said Landscaping and Horticulture Instructor Kurt Richardson.
In February, students began setting buckets under various maple trees around the school’s campus to collect tree sap. Each day, students collect the buckets and add the contents to a gravity tank, which holds several gallons of sap and slowly feeds into a wood-fired evaporator, where it boils to a temperature of approximately 219 degrees.
The syrup production supports fundraising efforts for FCTS’ Future Farmers of America chapter.
Co-Op Coordinator Mark Amstein and his neighbor have allowed the students to set up a tubing line and buckets on their properties, providing the students with approximately 60 additional taps.
The syrup production supports fundraising efforts for FCTS’ Future Farmers of America chapter.
Co-Op Coordinator Mark Amstein and his neighbor have allowed the students to set up a tubing line and buckets on their properties, providing the students with approximately 60 additional taps.
The sap is collected every few days from the properties and brought back to campus where it is boiled in a refurbished shed. Once the sap has been boiled outside in the sugar house, it is finished inside the shop with a final boil.
Throughout the course of the project, students have learned how to use a refractometer to check the quality of the final product in order to achieve precise specifications. Once the final quality check is made, the syrup is then bottled and sold.
Since the beginning of the project, students’ efforts have been able to yield four gallons of maple syrup.
“I am incredibly proud of our students’ work on this project,” said Landscaping and Horticulture Instructor Amanda Mattison. “I have been impressed with the teamwork and patience each of these students exhibited while working together for a common end goal.”
David J. Ferreira
MAVA Communications Coordinator
DavidFerreira
