Maple syrup is made by collecting the sap of the maple tree and processing it to form syrup. The Native Americans are believed to be the first ones to collect the maple sap by cutting v-shaped incisions into maple tree trunks in the spring. They would insert a reed or concaved piece of bark into the cut and let the sap run into buckets. After they had collected enough, they would heat the sap with hot rocks or leave the sap to freeze overnight and remove the frozen water from the top.

The method for collecting maple sap has not changed much since then and is still collected in much the same way. The maple tree is tapped and a spout inserted into the hole. Some manufactures still hang buckets to collect the sap while larger companies run the sap through tubing to the sugar house. Once the sap is collected, it is boiled down over high heat to obtain the syrup. Maple sap is about 98% water and 2% sugar. Therefore to get the syrup all the water must be boiled off and the syrupy sugar collected. It takes approximately 10.5 gallons of maple sap to produce .25 gallons of maple syrup.