By Crystal SandsWhen the temperatures shift and the snow and ice begin to melt near the end of our long winter, when the nights are still cold but the days warm to above freezing, the sap in the trees will start to run. It is during this time, usually around the end of February or the first of March here in Maine, that we can tap maple trees and extract the most delicious, sweet gift — sweet sap — which is used to make maple syrup. The art of making syrup from the sap of trees goes all the way back to Native American tribes in New England, who used both the sugar and syrup in a variety of ways.