Tapping Maple trees

[Garlisk]

Hey folks...just tapped my first maple tree today to collect sap for maple syrup. Just curious if anyone else has attempted this, and what they thought? I'm very excited because maple syrup has always seemed so magical to me, and yet the process appears to be really simple. As soon as I tapped the tree, sap began to flow out rather quickly!

I believe the tree I tapped is a Red Maple, which apparently works well for syrup along with Black, Silver (to a lesser degree) and obviously Sugar Maples. I attempted to tap a Norway, but didn't get any sap from it.

 

[_JP_]

This coming weekend I will be staying at a state park where maple syrup is being produced right now. I like to go to the sugar shack there and get a jug that is still warm, right off of the wood fired evaporation table.

Just remember the 40/1 ratio of syrup making. Forty gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup.

 

[jwhite]

Used to do it with my dad every spring, yea it's not complicated but there is a fair bit of work involved. Other trees will make syrup as well such as birch and hickory.

 

[morganjg]

The mild winter here in Western New York has really been good for syrup making. The temps have been perfectly below freezing so many nights and just above so many days, so there should be some very good pulls out here. We used to tap trees every spring, so I have learned a few tricks to make it right. Just make sure you stop tapping the trees before they start to bud, the sap gets a bit bitter and the syrup gets the worst of it. Good luck.

 

[BingeAndPurge]

I hope they already have the sap sounds like it won't be running this weekend unless it gets below freezing over night soon. Most they guys around here have hung it up for this year.

So doing the cubscout thing at Camp Lazarus the next few weekends might be a bust huh? It's their tapping festival and I always enjoy taking my son to the events there.

 

[TasMonk]

If you enjoy the mysteries of maple syrup, you might also be drawn to a similar but less well known sap-related traditional craft: birch beer.

Also, don't forget to plug up your taps in the trees when you finish. Open taps left in the trunk can be a vulnerability and allow insects or disease that can destroy the tree to get a foothold.

 

[fccexpert]

If you enjoy the mysteries of maple syrup, you might also be drawn to a similar but less well known sap-related traditional craft: birch beer.

Also, don't forget to plug up your taps in the trees when you finish. Open taps left in the trunk can be a vulnerability and allow insects or disease that can destroy the tree to get a foothold.

Getting ready to make this years birch sap wine. Hopefully the warm winter will not have affected sap flow.

 

[djmike523]

mmm suger shack. its just so good. that's now on my to-do list this weekend!

 

[Garlisk]

Indeed...I did not know of birch sap products, but I have discovered it while searching for maple info. I will add that to my calendar for next year for sure.

I was planning on using bees wax to plug the holes...does that sound appropriate?

 

[TasMonk]

I was planning on using bees wax to plug the holes...does that sound appropriate?

I was taught to use a dry wood plug the same diameter as the tap pounded in to the full depth of the hole. This offers a strong permanent plug that the tree can easily seal up very quickly. Beeswax might be okay; my only concerns would be that it might not have the body to remain in the tap hole really long term, and depending on how refined the wax is it might still be attractive to some bugs, small animals, and the like.

Good luck with your maple harvest this year, and birch harvest next year!

 

[Garlisk]

Just wanted to say that I boilded down the maple sap, and ended up with a little under half a cup of syrup! Obviously I didn't have a lot of sap, but it was still pretty awesome...and tastes amazing. I will be identifying more of my maples this years and have another go next year now that I have more knowledge!

 

[TasMonk]

Just wanted to say that I boilded down the maple sap, and ended up with a little under half a cup of syrup! Obviously I didn't have a lot of sap, but it was still pretty awesome...and tastes amazing. I will be identifying more of my maples this years and have another go next year now that I have more knowledge!

Good for you! Sounds like you're well on your way.

 

[The Nid Hog]

My daughter and I were visiting Hampshire College a couple of years ago when they were making syrup at the sugar shack. It was quite an experience--we got completely drawn in.

 

[_JP_]

I hope they already have the sap sounds like it won't be running this weekend unless it gets below freezing over night soon. Most they guys around here have hung it up for this year.

I was there a couple of days ago and the sugar shack was nice and warm with the evaporator table at full steam. Got myself another quart of syrup.

They tap trees there using either traditional buckets, or on slopes they'll use a tubing system that is linked from tree to tree and empties into a large container.

Just read this morning about a place in Vermont that did not run its sugar shack this year. Testing the sap yielded such low sugar levels that it wasn't worth while.

 

[fccexpert]

I got my gallon of birch sap, time to make the wine.

 

[BingeAndPurge]

If the weather is nice, going to visit the tapping festival this weekend.

 

[beau5278]

I made about 4 gallons of syrup last year but I didn't even put any taps out here in PA this year,just to darn warm.