We tapped the Maple tree the other day

[Doe in the kitchen]

Well my husband sucessfully tapped the maple tree the other day. We are gathering quite alot. We were both pleasantly surprised. I can't wait to make some homemade maple syrup

 

[Dawgluver]

I'm envious!

 

[Addie]

Well my husband sucessfully tapped the maple tree the other day. We are gathering quite alot. We were both pleasantly surprised. I can't wait to make some homemade maple syrup

It takes a lot of sap and a long timie to boil it down. But I envy you. My youngest works in Vermont one weekend a month and he brings home syrup from his former landlord every so often. Unfortunately, it is not part of my diet. Pure sugar.

 

[CWS4322]

Wow--you're early! We usually tap late February and end up with about 20 l of syrup. My dad lives in N MN and taps in mid-March. He has 40 taps and gets about 40 l of syrup.

You can freeze the sap for up to a year. I do that if I don't feel like evaporating it. I also give some sap to friends with young children so they can learn about making syrup. My dad uses a propane turkey fryer and finishes the syrup on the stove inside. We do ours on the woodstove. I've tried using my roaster oven, but that didn't work. A friend does hers in a crockpot with the lid off. We hot seal the jars once it is syrup, once opened, keep in the fridge. I've "over evaporated" and ended up with maple sugar. It was very good.

My dad has rigged a sled (one of those old-fashioned wooden ones with metal runners) with buckets for collecting. One year we tapped the trees in the bush at the farm. I had to wade through 18 inches of ICE water to collect the sap (and walk about 1/2 mile). I threatened to drop the canoe in the water and paddle out to collect the sap. We no longer tap those trees unless the ground is dry/frozen enough to get out there to collect the sap. Fortunately, we have sugar maple trees close to the house that we tap. You can tap silver maples, but the ratio is 1:100, so a bit more work and the syrup isn't as sweet. As a child, my dad tapped boxelder (sp) (a/k/a Manitoba Maple) trees. These trees grow quickly and are prong to growing crooked, the branches break (here, they are "junk" trees--but they burn well and kick off a fair amount of heat--and the wood has a distinct odor when it burns--or maybe it is because I have such a pronounced sense of smell--I can smell MM on the DH when he has cut it and I can smell it when it is burning in the woodstove). I've heard of people tapping birch trees--the syrup has a slightly bitter taste.

I found this link to be helpful the first year we collected sap (I'm an experienced collector, now. We're in our fifth year of tapping our trees):

http://www.umext.maine.edu/onlinepubs/pdfpubs/7036.pdf

 

[kleenex]

It takes a lot of sap and a long timie to boil it down. But I envy you. My youngest works in Vermont one weekend a month and he brings home syrup from his former landlord every so often. Unfortunately, it is not part of my diet. Pure sugar.

Well the real stuff is so much better then the cheap stuff.

 

[buckytom]

last year, when we were in vermont, i bought a jar of maple pepper. it's a combo of maple sugar and ground black pepper.

it sounded a little weird but good, so now i need to think of something to make with it.

 

[Addie]

Maple sugar is my absolute downfall. It is why I stay out of Vermont and maple country. You find maple sugar everywhere, and no matter how much I already have, I just can't walk out of a store and not buy more. It is my sickness.

 

[Aunt Bea]

last year, when we were in vermont, i bought a jar of maple pepper. it's a combo of maple sugar and ground black pepper.

it sounded a little weird but good, so now i need to think of something to make with it.

Try packing it on a ham or on some good quality bacon!

 

[buckytom]

thanks, b. they sound like great ideas.

it's only a small jar, though, so i might try it on a hot ham sandwich first. or maybe a blt.

 

[Addie]

thanks, b. they sound like great ideas.

it's only a small jar, though, so i might try it on a hot ham sandwich first. or maybe a blt.

Great Idea! Easter is coming. Better than brown sugar on the ham. Can you hold out that long?

 

[CWS4322]

Great Idea! Easter is coming. Better than brown sugar on the ham. Can you hold out that long?

I infused and glazed a turkey with maple syrup a couple of years ago on Easter--but, I have that surplus of maple syrup to tap into...the turkey was excellent.

 

[Snip 13]

We don't have maple trees in SA. Would love to experience tapping a maple tree. That must be fun

 

[Addie]

We don't have maple trees in SA. Would love to experience tapping a maple tree. That must be fun

Kind of like pounding a nail into a tree and then standing there all day and watching the sap of the tree drip out into a bucket drop by drop.

 

[CWS4322]

It is not quite like that, Addie. We use copper tubing. And, the sap flows faster than a drip-drip-drip...that would be a leaky kitchen faucet!

 

[CWS4322]

thanks, b. they sound like great ideas.

it's only a small jar, though, so i might try it on a hot ham sandwich first. or maybe a blt.

Are the peppercorns in it? I have lots of maple syrup...never thought of infusing it...hmmmmmm...

 

[Addie]

It is not quite like that, Addie. We use copper tubing. And, the sap flows faster than a drip-drip-drip...that would be a leaky kitchen faucet!

I know. I was just being facetious. When I lived on the farm, we had three maple trees across from the kitchen door. We used to tap them every year. Got just enough to make about a quart (more or less) of syrup.

 

[CWS4322]

I know. I was just being facetious. When I lived on the farm, we had three maple trees across from the kitchen door. We used to tap them every year. Got just enough to make about a quart (more or less) of syrup.

Wow, that's not a lot of sap from three trees. Did you run multiple taps?

 

[Addie]

Wow, that's not a lot of sap from three trees. Did you run multiple taps?

I don't remember. I stayed away from it all or I would have had another chore to do. I do remember the smell of maple when it was being boiled down. I do know it all started as a lesson to us to show us where maple syrup came from.

 

[CWS4322]

I don't remember. I stayed away from it all or I would have had another chore to do. I do remember the smell of maple when it was being boiled down. I do know it all started as a lesson to us to show us where maple syrup came from.

And how much work it entails! I think that is why my dad tapped the Manitoba Maple(or maybe it was so one of my brothers could get a Scout badge)...to show us how much work it was to get a jelly glass (250 ml) of syrup.

 

[Addie]

My sister and I took the kids to Vermont one year and stopped at a family owned maple producer. We took them out to where the trees were tapped, tubes running to a big tank, then bringing the tank in with horses pulling the sled to the boiling house, the big pile of cut wood that had been cut by hand. You could see the axe marks on the wood. Then they got to see the bottling, labeling, etc. To this day, any time they are lucky enough to have a bottle of real maple syrup, they treasure it. After all that we took them into the restaurant for lunch. They all ordered pancakes so they could pour real maple syrup over them. I had corn fritters with syrup.

My youngest was working in Vermont for a couple of years. For Christmas he gave every one a jug of syrup. Gold!