How To Make Maple Syrup.

[Damummis]

Plastic tubing is great. Cheap and they last a few years.

This year is weird with the sap. It has been so warm here the sap is not flowing. The trees are starting to bud, so the sap is stronger and darker.

 

[verthandi]

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I did plastic tubing this year....love it. Tubing connected to 5 gallon buckets with covers and it keep the rain and other mystery items out of the pails.

 

[MsMcChick]

WooHoo!! It's tapping time again

The 4-H and boyscouts are tapping friday and our family is tapping saturday. We'll be busy..busy..busy all over the place! Our 4H club joins with the local boyscouts and taps trees all over in town (hence the school being called Maple Valley, LOL!), then the local syrup assoc. brews it when we drop it off every other day or so. For the family, I mentioned installing the lines since the sugar shanty is at the base of a totally circular hill and it would minimize a lot of time and manpower (especially since we live 45 miles from the family farm). They thought it may be something worth looking into. We'd just have to research it a tad and find out what works...rubber hose vs. other, what type of taps to use with the hose, etc. Anyone use the hose/line method to collect? ~Tracy

 

[Damummis]

WOW!! Maine Syrup is going to get expensive I think. This winter has not been a good syrup year for us. Last year we made 6 gal.
This year 2 qt and 1 pt. Too warm, overnight temps barely freezing. I wonder how inland more is fairing.

 

[agnes_day]

i was all ready to try this on the tree in our front yard...until the last minute when my husband informed me that it was an OAK tree.

 

[Damummis]

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Yeah, I don't think that would work out to well.

 

[Cindiloohoo]

Can you tap trees in Tennessee? We have had a rather cold winter this year....I've never done it, but DD HAS TO HAVE PURE MAPLE SYRUP. It's the only stinkin thing without MSG that would even be considered edible IMO. That stuff is like $7 a pint at the grocery store!!! Anybody know??? I'd LOVE to try it

 

[Damummis]

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If you have daytime temps above freezing, 40ish+ and night temps below freezing, I would try.

 

[Cindiloohoo]

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If you have daytime temps above freezing, 40ish+ and night temps below freezing, I would try.

YESS!!! I sure will! I'm sick of paying out the nose for that stuff!!!!!! DD will get to help

We had waffles tonight too, and just thinking about making our own syrup ....

I HOPE it works!! I better get busy though...oh, and we have Hickory trees. I think we cut all the maples down

Still though...better than nothin!!

 

[agnes_day]

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Yeah, I don't think that would work out to well.

yep...i almost think he was tempted to let me go through with it for fun but then decided at the last moment to tell me.