note: this is a reprint from a few postings i wrote last year. i had hope to tap this year and create an entirely new posting but the flu attacked our household and i was completely wiped out during the peak tapping time…
this tree was large enough that i could tap it with 2 stiles
i had hoped to tap a few weeks ago but didn’t get around to it. the weather is perfect though…days in the 40′s, nights in the 20′s.
today, i drilled two taps for a maple tree in our front yard on the west side of the house. it is a silver maple as all our maples are but it is a multi-branching tree which is supposed to produce higher amounts of sap than the straight trunked trees which is what i tapped last year.
a close-up of the actual tap. i drilled it with a 3/8′s drill bit in about 2″. the end of the spout is in the opening of the bottle. i used a twisty tie to secure the bottle via its handle onto the spile. i tried a few different methods, this one was the easiest to remove for emptying purposes and tight enough to keep the bottle from moving a lot during winds which can cause the spile to drip the sap onto the ground.
it takes a minimum of 40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup. last year i think i ended up with a quart? i don’t remember but it was delicious.
i’d love to put away at least a gallon but i don’t think i’ll reach that goal this year. but, any amount i put away saves me lots of $$ as i spend at least $9 per quart (maybe more, i don’t have my receipts in front of me).
last year, the spouts ran into buckets that i covered with trash bags to keep out the rain and bugs. this year, i washed out gallon vinegar bottles and have the spouts running directly into the bottles. i cut a small hole in the corner of a gallon zip lock bag and pulled it over the spout first to protect the opening from rain/bugs. i can just bring out new bottles and switch them out every day since i have several empty vinegar bottles (i use vinegar in the wash with every load in the fabric softener dispenser.)
last year, i boiled it down in the kitchen which was workable but awful humid. this year, i think i’ll try it outdoors on the gas camp stove. (note: now that we have the wood stove, i’ll probably cook it down on the wood stove which has a lot more open space to let the humidity disperse…this year it would have been a good thing having all that extra humidity in the house with us all being congested).
i am tapping 2 weeks earlier this year than last…i tapped very late last year and it only lasted about 2 weeks, tops. next year, i hope to tap mid-january.
Very cool. I’d love to see the process.
Where did you get the spiles? I was hoping to try my birch tree this year.
Yum! I’d love to see pics when you do the boiling on the wood stove
Another one hoping that you do another post with the process/pics. I am heading next week to a local farm that is starting to draw the sap/syrup and can’t wait…., first time trying to understand the process behind the syrup I love to use. Is there a way to know where to “poke” the tree to get the sap? Or does it come anywhere?
I love posts like this where “regular” people tap the trees in their yards. I’ve contemplated doing something like this with our maple trees.
I always thought you had to do sugar maples. HM, I wonder if I could tap my trees. They’re all multi-stem.
christy – thanks! next year, when i tap again, i’ll do a detailed post.
howling duck ranch – i got my spiles from some friends. i think they ordered them from lehmans. you can also find them on ebay.
thebackforty – next year! i promise to dedicate a post to the whole procedure from start to finish.
mangochild – a general rule of thumb is to tap them around chest height, mostly for convenience. here’s a great pdf with instructions on doing it: http://www.umext.maine.edu/onlinepubs/pdfpubs/7036.pdf
pampered mom – the great thing is there are so many items we take for granted that are just ‘made’ and purchased from the grocery store but when we start thinking about it, we realize how much can really be done at home and fairly easily too! yogurt, ice cream, noodles, bread, ketchup…they are all easy to make but a lot of people don’t even realize they CAN do it. i remember when i realized that i could make yogurt in my kitchen. it was a revelation!
chiot’s run – pretty much any maple can be tapped…sugar, red, silver, even box elders and birch trees can be tapped. read the above article and see if your trees are big enough in diameter to tap!
I hope you give this another try in 2010. Tapping maple trees at home is a great experience. Home made syrup tastes great, and is special because you made it yourself. For those looking to start tapping their own maple trees, take a look at http://www.tapmytrees.com which walks you through the process.