We tapped our maple tree!

[miss_thenorth]

A long time ago,I got a Harrowsmith Country Life magazine and there was an article in it about being able to tap many different species of trees. We were living up north at the time and had huge Aspens and birches. I had planned to tap several of those, but never got around to it.

Now we are here, and have no big trees near us, so, unless I plan on planting a maple and then waiting for it to grow up and then tap it, I'm SOL.

I planted a sugar maple in 1998 and it will be 10" in diameter next year. That's the minimum size needed for tapping. Had I had coddled and fertilized it, it would have been sooner. I say plant those maples!

maybe I will.... patience was never one of my strong points though. that, and we only plan on living in this house for about 10 more years. Well, that way they would be ready for the next owners.....

 

[Henrietta23]

If I had space to plant I'd be planting sugar maples!!
I 've read you can tap birch (not sure which types, but I had birch syrup in Alaska) and box elder also.

 

[Iceblink]

In 'Stalking the Wild Asparagus' the author talks about tapping trees, he said you can tap pretty much any tree, the sap will taste different from tree to tree and year to year.

It's a good book about foraged foods, I recommend it.

Good luck with your syrup, how clever you are!

 

[sylvie]

I see Birch Beer at our fairs which is like root beer. I know if you scratch under the bark of yellow birch it smells of wintergreen, but the birch beer doesn't have that flavor. It would be interesting to have a taste comparison of the syrup from all the tappable trees!

 

[Okiemommy]

Stalking the wild asparagus!! That is a great title!!

What an interesting thread!! Thanks for posting this!!

 

[lupinfarm]

Cool! ... We don't have any maples on our property, but our neighbour does and he tapped all of his

 

[Henrietta23]

I am noticing more and more homes with maples tapped! It never occured to me I could do it with this ugly old tree that consumed my front yard years ago! I was ready to have my husband cut it down and figured what the heck, let's just try it. Looks like it has a will to live!