Tree tapping

[Chicken butler]

Is working!(singing) it tastes like sugar water.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Early success. Congratulations!!!
I figured the sap would start moving about now.
Considering how much sap it takes to make a gallon of syrup. That stuff's like liquid gold. I'd hate to have a jar break. Maybe if it is rainwater that is the concern, you could fashion little tin roofs for them.

 

[Chicken butler]

I already have a gallon! Wow that was faster than I thought it would be! Only, like, 50 to go.. if I want a gallon. Lol

 

[ChickenCanoe]

How many trees do you currently have tapped?

 

[Chicken butler]

How many trees do you currently have tapped?

12

 

[Chicken butler]

Quick question, today it is raining , I didn't get half the sap I have been getting for the past days. Does sap production slow when it rains?

 

[Chicken butler]

Alright! I just boiled down the last of the sap, I only got 4 gallons of sap this year,so It only made a cup of sap. But this was a round of learning! I will post my final thoughts in just a moment

 

[Chicken butler]

Ok! So first of a few things I learned along the way.
1. Tapping trees is a fun thing to do in the spring when you can't garden, and are looking for a excuse to get outside
2. Having the right tools ahead of time will make it alot easier in the long run
3. Patience it key
4. I recommend tapping as many trees as you can.
5. Don't boil over an open fire if you plan to go into town after. I mean don't get me wrong, some of you may like to go into town smelling like you were cooking over bonfire, just not me.
Flavor
Just as sweet as maple, maybe sweeter.
Does not taste just like maple syrup
It has its own Flavor, really good.

A few things I learned along the way
1. The temperatures have to get to freezing at night and above freezing in the day for the sap to flow
2. The sap doesn't flow on rainy days
We had a lot of rain, so I didn't get much sap
3. Make sure you check your jars or buckets for mildew on hot days.

Hope this helps someone out there!

 

[Bawkbok]

You can also tap Black Walnut, Sycamore, Box elder, Birch, Hickory and Tulip Poplar. That means there are lots of trees in Missouri (and most of the country) that can produce syrup with enough work.

I wish I would have known or thought about this possibility when we lived there. We had all these trees mentioned along with a Maple grove that had literally thousands of Maple trees. I miss that property! It was a piece of paradise for sure.

Following this thread just for the fun of it.

Nothing to tap here in the nasty hot south where we are -- only have what is known as "scrub" trees.