Today I put a tap in my maple tree, so that I can make maple syrup.

[Kansas Terri]

The best tree to make maple syrup is the Sugar Maple, and what I HAVE is a Silver Maple! But, you can tap the Silver Maple also. The biggest difference is that you will have to boil down more sap to make a cup full of syrup. I tapped this tree once before, years ago, and while I tapped too late in the year and only got a little sap the resulting sugar was sweet and good.

This year I am tapping too early in the year and I KNOW this, but I have never heard of anyone else tapping a maple tree in Kansas so I have no idea when the right time is! I would rather tap early than late and so the tap is in and the bucket is set onto the hook. I followed the directions below.

 

[zigs]

Nice one Terri

Not sure about Kansas, would guess the sap starts to rise in march around here. If you've got a stethoscope you can hear it.

Don't forget to plug the hole afterwards or the tree could bleed to death.

We do it with Birch trees to make Birch Sap Wine over here, but I was a bit dissapointed with the result, I was expecting it to taste like Retzina, but it was a bit wishy washy,

 

[cmckinney01]

The best tree to make maple syrup is the Sugar Maple, and what I HAVE is a Silver Maple! But, you can tap the Silver Maple also. The biggest difference is that you will have to boil down more sap to make a cup full of syrup. I tapped this tree once before, years ago, and while I tapped too late in the year and only got a little sap the resulting sugar was sweet and good.

This year I am tapping too early in the year and I KNOW this, but I have never heard of anyone else tapping a maple tree in Kansas so I have no idea when the right time is! I would rather tap early than late and so the tap is in and the bucket is set onto the hook. I followed the directions below.

I hope you are not tapping too early. However, I am located in Upstate New York, and you are in Kansas. So you may have an earlier season where you are.
Good luck with the syrup. I hope it comes out well for you. I'm sure it will be sweet and delicious.

 

[Kansas Terri]

Further reading has pointed out that the flow of sap is caused by the part of the tree that is above ground first freezing, and then thawing. And, the weatherman predicts this weather in just 4 days!

So I guess I did not set the taps too early after all!

 

[DeaneRenata]

The best tree to make maple syrup is the Sugar Maple, and what I HAVE is a Silver Maple! But, you can tap the Silver Maple also. The biggest difference is that you will have to boil down more sap to make a cup full of syrup. I tapped this tree once before, years ago, and while I tapped too late in the year and only got a little sap the resulting sugar was sweet and good.

This year I am tapping too early in the year and I KNOW this, but I have never heard of anyone else tapping a maple tree in Kansas so I have no idea when the right time is! I would rather tap early than late and so the tap is in and the bucket is set onto the hook. I followed the directions below.

You know I've wanted to try this too, but there are no maple trees around where I live! So oh well.

 

[Kansas Terri]

DeaneRenata, how are you set for birch, box elder, and walnut? They can be tapped also.

I got just one cup of sap from one tree and now a severe cold front is moving in. I do not expect any more sap until it warms up again.

To make things more irritating, I spilled some bean juice into the sap pan on my stove! So, there will not even be a snidge of maple syrup until it warms up again!

 

[IcyBC]

That sounds wonderful if the syrup is sweet and good! I am sure in time you will figure out the right time to tap it. It is all in the learning isn't it? You will be the expert soon and can give all the others some suggestion

 

[LilAnn]

I've never had maple syrup that wasn't bought in a supermarket. And I love it then, I can only imagine how good the real stuff tastes.

 

[Kansas Terri]

It was delicious. Alas, the tree never yielded much and so we each got just a taste. I might have tried tapping again this year, excepting that this winter the power company came in to trim the trees, and they trimmed this tree far more than they had a legal right to.

My tree is now far less handsome than it was, and I have decided to let it rest and heal. I thought about filing a complaint, but that would not put back one large limb and too smaller ones.

In time I think it will fill out again.

 

[Everbrown]

Alas, I don't have any trees quite large enough to tap as of yet. Living in New England though its nit hard to find a Sugar house to visit and buy some locally mad product ( I am tending to prefer what is currently called grade B (later in season darker more maplely flavored ) while my better half prefers the lighter colored/flavored early season variety that is more typically sold ). I also had the pleasure ( ?) of one day in the sugar woods about 20 years ago on a farm that still had the buckets and horse drawn wagon to obtain the unfinished product (one day was quite enough).

 

[claudine]

This sounds wonderful, Kansas Terri Maple syrup is delicious. I sometimes buy it at the store. It's expensive, but definitely worth the money.
I'm sorry to hear that the power company trimmed your tree