32-inch or more diameter = up to 6 taps Does Tapping Hurt the Tree?.18-inch to 32-inch diameter = up to 3 taps.Most sugarmakers follow this taps-per-tree rule: One taphole will produce up to 12 gallons of sap in a season (which boils down to approximately one quart) and larger trees can accommodate more than one tap. The tree must be healthy with a full canopy of leaves in the summer – thanks to the magic of photosynthesis, the more leaves a tree has, the sweeter its sap. You can also tap soft maples, birch, or box elder but the end product will taste a bit different and the boiling process takes a little bit longer. The best maple syrup comes from sugar maple or hard maple trees because their sap has the highest sugar content. For now, I’d like to answer a few questions I’ve run into and give you a little primer on the tapping process. Over the next few weeks, I’m going to take you through the process of tapping trees, collecting sap, and turning this sweet bounty into enough syrup to feed your family all year long. Best of all, your reward will be one of nature’s sweetest treats: pure maple syrup. I know you’ll find it to be a great outdoor family activity and I think you’ll see it is much simpler than you thought. Maple tapping time is just around the corner! Have you ever considered taking up this fun hobby but wonder how it all really works? I’m so excited to share with you everything we’ve learned about sugarmaking. Home Organization News, Blog, & Articles.Energy Efficiency News, Blog, & Articles.I ran out of propane twice which delayed the process and the trees were producing faster than I could keep up. Whether you are using wood, propane, natural gas or other, make sure you have plenty on hand. This in turn means it takes a lot of fuel. Have Plenty of Fuel on HandĪs noted above, it takes a lot of time to boil off the water, probably more than you are anticipating. I suppose you could use coolers with ice, a refrigerator if you have them available, or your Homestead Cold Room. I stored the sap in the snow bank until I had time to boil it down. Luckily I piled snow on the north face of my house where it is out of the sun this time of year. It was hard for me to find the time to boil it down before the sap had a chance to spoil. I was amazed how long it takes to boil off the water. Make sure to drill a hole in the top of the bucket that is not too large, allowing the hose to fit snugly otherwise ants will get in through the hole. When using a bucket that sets on the ground you should connect a rubber hose from the spile to the bucket. Also, when I didn’t use a sealed lid, curious or hungry critters knocked over the buckets and ants got in the buckets. I found that during peak flow times, smaller buckets filled faster than I had time to collect the sap, resulting in wasted sap. I recommend using large buckets that sit on the ground and have a sealed lid for collecting the sap. Simple to use, drill a 7/16″ hole 1-1/2″ to 1-3/4″ into the tree at a slight upward angle, about as high as your waist, insert spout firmly in the hole and hang a bucket from the S-hook. Tap a new hole, no closer than 6” from other holes, then you are likely to improve your results. Don’t leave the slow producing tap, hoping that it will improve its flow it won’t. If you have a tap that is producing less sap than other taps, re-tap it right away. Tapping beneath a large branch or above a large root will typically provide the best flow. You want to tap the south face of the tree, however, be willing to vary from due south. Trying to determine which trees are maples from the bark or from memory will almost certainly lead to tapping non-maples, which will produce a small fraction of the sap the maples will provide. Mark the trees you wish to tap in the summer when they still have leaves. Available at 10 Maple Syrup Tips for Rookies Mark Maple Trees in the Summer Our maple sugaring starter kit has everything you need to collect sap from 3 mature maple trees (sugar maples are best, but you can also tap black, big leaf or red maples).
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