Sugar Time!!

[BullyBreedsRock]

Aniin (hello), I really love this time of year, the sap starts moving in the Maple trees and I get to hang out with my good old Dad! We have had some unseasonally warm weather here in Ohio, so I took advantage of it and started tapping trees at the begining of the month and have already boiled down around 50 gal. of sap. I think the thing I like the most is having Dad and my Uncles around during the cooking time and hearing the stories they have about the old times and knowing that these same stories I am hearing I will be sharing with my kids and grandkids one day. The girls used to help with the gathering and the cooking, but they are teens now and have more important things to do right now, I am not mad, (maybe a little sad)... I chose that path one time too, I just hope they dont take as long of time as I did to come back to hear the stories! I dont know why I chose to share this with everyone other than I just felt I needed to get something off my chest I guess and my Wife is probably tired of hearing me whine about it...hahahaha Anyway, I guess I am just trying to say I am really really thankful for Family and I hope you all are having just as much of a good ride as I am this time of year!! Thanks for letting me ramble on!!!

 

[GardenerGal]

Oh, I envy you! Sugaring-off time is such a blast! I used to love splitting wood for the boiler pans, and the smell of simmering sap is so intoxicating. For me, at least.

No sugar maples on the property where I live now, just red swamp maples, and that's the WATERIEST maple sap on earth! It takes 60 gallons of red maple sap to make a gallon of syrup. Some day I'll buy a property with sugarbush.

This year, our season in New England started wicked early, like early February because it has been a freakishly mild winter. We have been getting mild days and cold nights for a long time! The farm co-op up the highway started selling spiles and sap buckets in January!

Anyway, thanks for sharing -- it brought back happy memories. Have a great sugaring season.

 

[BullyBreedsRock]

Thanks GardenerGal, I am glad it brought back some good memories! I already had my trees tapped for a week before the co-op by us put out their supplies. LOL I have black maples in the hardwoods behind my property that the owners let me tap for a little trade, my Uncle has some nice sugar maples on his farm and we tap those trees too.

 

[GardenerGal]

Do you have black birch or yellow birch in your part of Ohio? That's another kind of tree you can tap for sap. It's where Birch Beer comes from. We used to chew on the tiny twigs in late winter -- from black birch and yellow birch -- and get that rootbeery flavor. The local Native Americans here used the syrup to flavor pemmican (dried deer meat jerky).

Not a lot of folks tap birch anymore.

 

[BullyBreedsRock]

I think we have some yellow around, but mostly paper and white birch around here. I have some shag bark hickorey I have been saying Im going to tap every year but never do. LOL My buddy and his brother tapped some Hickorey this year and we are going to swap a bottle so I can try it.

 

[GardenerGal]

Hickory! Now that's something I've never tried (the nuts, yes. The sap, never). Who'da thunk it? We have some shagbark up the road. Maybe I'll ask about tapping them, if my curiosity makes me get off my duff!

 

[BullyBreedsRock]

Yeah I had read an article about this guy who was tapping hickory and black walnut and making syrup from them. Than I was sharing what I read with a friend of mine he said he had hickory syrup before and it was good, he said he and his brother are going to try and tap some this year. If he does, we are going to trade some of my maple for his hickory... so I will let you know...lol

 

[GardenerGal]

I'll be really curious to know how it compares to sugar maple syrup.
Have fun with your sugaring! The season is all too short.

 

[nickie]

I'm hoping some experienced people can answer this question... How is black walnut syrup? I have two maples on my property a sugar and a silver. My mom has countless black walnut trees. I want to give the whole syrup making process a try and if we can make something unique and yummy with her trees I would love to.


I hope you all had a good season, I can't wait until next year.

 

[BullyBreedsRock]

Hey Nickie, I have never had black walnut syrup. I just read an article on it. I also checked out a video on you tube about it. I hope you do try it so you can tell us how it taste, my friend tapped his hickory trees and it was pretty good!! I still like the maple best though!
Peace and Respect
Dave