Thread: Anyone into making maple syrup

I decided to have a go at making maple syrup. I have been told some cheap ways of gettign started like using clean milk jugs for the collecting buckets and using these little fittigns that are used for pecks water line for my piles. I was just curious if anyone else is gonna be tappign trees in the next 2 weeks or so. and if so would anyone know what i can expect to get sap wise from 8-10 single tap maples? just a ball park estimate would be nice.

You are welcome to send it to me for beta testing.

My understanding is that there really isn't much flavor at all in the tree sap. Most of the flavor is developed by scorching the sap as you boil it down. Let me know if this is true.

yea considering its 98% water 2% sugar when its sap. its boiled down for like a life time to get it syrupy.

My brother makes syrup. I don't have the patience for it.
I don't know for sure how much sap you'll get from 10 trees, but I think its a fair amount.

thanks guys i put a test tap out today i know its about 2 weeks earler than most people do but it has about a qt of sap in it already and its only been out for about 5 hrs. i was told it will stop runnign when it stayes below freezing and will pick right back up when it gets above freezing a day. if it contiues to keep runnign so well i will tap the other trees.

they have a maple festival in higland county virginia every year, i have gone a few times. at one of the camps, and there are about 4 or 5 over there, the gentleman was explaining that they only tap when the temp is below freezing during the nights, and warms up to well over freezing during the days. its a shame you live where you do, the festival is for 2 weeks in march.

yea that sounds like fun. They do booth at the Pa farm show every january but thats in harrisburg and its quite a drive form my location. I have went one other yr and its amazing the second largest farm show in the country.

I remember a story we had in grade school about making syrup. The kids would take a small dipper of the hot syrup and take it outside.

They would pour some on the snow, pick it up and eat it like candy.

Originally Posted by Crotalus

I remember a story we had in grade school about making syrup. The kids would take a small dipper of the hot syrup and take it outside.

They would pour some on the snow, pick it up and eat it like candy.

I've heard the same, but supposedly it's what native Americans did. I remember trying it when I was a kid, but I don't quite remember how it turned out.