Maple Tree Tapping for Sap for Syrup (Lots of Pictures)

[Pamcake]

OK, well I did it.
I tapped a maple tree for the first time.

Pix & narrative are below. I was surprised at how fast it went!

First, I had to figure out the pieces & parts (my stuff from Lehman's was not the usual metal bucket setup, instead a few yrs back I decided ?wisely? to try it with a plastic bag setup).
Yes, you figured it out, I've had this equipment in the closet for a number of years & never got around to it...

So, let's assemble the syrup-catching device.
Metal housing & plastic bags and no instructions, but eventually I made it work and I hope it is right or I'll lose my sap!!!

Pull out flat metal ring & put baggie through it, then fold the edges down over the ring to the outside:

Then sort-of squeeze the metal ring a little bit, so it is thinner, and slide it back into the "shoulder". Then push the ring downward, into the space/track at the bottoms of the shoulder, and it seems to lock/grab hold.

Then, find your drill bit that matches the size of your tree tap spigot things:

And then go to a tree & drill 2-2.5" deep, sloping a bit upward to help sap flow down & out, then gently pound the tap in the hole. Hang the collecting system on the tap, via the hole in one side of the shoulder. The tap has a spine on the top so your collecting system won't slide off.
Voila:

 

[2ADMNLOVER]

Thats pretty cool !

Do you have to do any kind of treatment to make it safe to consume first ?

 

[Flintlock]

Thats pretty cool !

Do you have to do any kind of treatment to make it safe to consume first ?

Boil it down into syrup!!! It'll take about 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup. I made about half a gallon this year, just enough for the year and I'll make more next year. I've been making it for a few years now and each year I get a little better and a little more efficient. It's a fun thing to look forward to each year.

 

[Pamcake]

And, 1 hour 23 minutes later: enough for one pancake bite!!! (assuming 40:1 ratio of sap:syrup)

@2admnlover, I should hope that the boiling down of the sap, which can take a couple of days or more, would sterilize it. Online instructions also say to filter it before putting it into the cooking system/pans, to remove any accumulated debris.

 

[shibumiseeker]

40:1 is really optimistic. Sugar content depends on the tree, but I'm finding 50-60:1 is typical of what I get out of the hundreds of taps I put in each year.

Good on you for doing it, it's so ridiculously easy and anyone who has any sugar maple trees (or even red or silver maples) should do it.

 

[Clay]

local guy i talked to today said 60 gallons of sap to produce 1 gallon of syrup, but whos counting, thats a LOT of collecting either way!!!!!!1

he puts in a bunch of taps and runs a full camp with lines run back to his cabin to cook it down. He said his biggest issue is losing the use of some 'stuff' (technical term) that he puts into the taps to keep them from closing off. Someone determined it 'hurts the trees', so they took it off the market. Said his collecting is down about 1/2 from what it used to be.

 

[philo]

If you screen the bugs and bark flecks out it's safe to drink the sap straight from the tree/collection bag or bucket. The sap is very perishable though. It will begin to ferment, or grow fungi/bacteria in a few days at higher temps (over ~45).

Boiling sap down drives off a lot of water and changes its osmotic potential making the syrup much less likely to support microbes. If done indoors, it can also make all the surfaces in your kitchen sticky and loosen you wallpaper - just FYI.

Also, you want to stop collecting sap when the trees buds begin to swell or you will get an off taste in the finished syrup.

 

[rhart]

Great post, thanks for sharing. This was my first year for sugaring too. Collecting the sap was the easy part. Boiling it down was the killer. I collected about 100 gallons so far. I tried that bags and 5 gallon buckets but my favorite was 5 gallon plastic water jugs. I drilled a small hole in them to hang them by. The neck is small to keep rain and most bugs out. I have expreimented with a couple wood fired cookers but did most of it with propane. I went through 3, 20 lb tanks to cook that much down so very expensive. Next year I hope to have a better wood fired evaporator because wood is free for me. I very fun project and a great skill (and equipment) to have. I have 9 pints stored and have had 4 really good breakfasts. I put hot syrup in canning jars this morning and they all sealed and are ready for the fridge.

 

[william]

Thats cool!! I have wanted to try that myself ever since I went to the maple syrup festival in Salem a few years back. Keep us posted on how it tastes.

 

[Digital_photog]

Our Amish neighbor who rented our evaporator was cooking a lot yesterday. This year we aren't cooking any ourselves. I have rented the large evaporator out for several years and only used a small one that will make about 1 quart per hour. He us using his own and my large one. We get free syrup for letting him use it. With that one we would usually make 30 to 50 gallons of syrup a year. With the 2 he is running he has already made over 40 gallons.

 

[WETSU]

Sailor and I will start cutting wood today for a couple wood fired boilers. I think last year our rate was about 40 gallons of sap to 1 gallon of syrup. The boiling isn't bad. You get to stand around a fire all day and BS, drink a couple beers.

 

[Goosepond Monster]

On my way to work I see a house that has a couple of trees with milk jugs attached to them. I figured they were taps for syrup.

Typically how long do you leave the tap on a tree?

 

[tk21k]

I have been making it for a few years. Just enough to give a little away and have some for the wife and me until next year. So much better than what is in the store.

 

[Sailor]

This year we are using Stainless Steel chafing dishes to boil in. Shallow and lots of surface area. We will suspend them with concrete blocks with a chimney out the back. Hillbilly sugar shack. I will report how it works.

 

[Yoder]

I'm experimenting with blends this year. I have about 40 sugar maple taps in, as well as a dozen or so in other maples. Also have a handful in birches, which I'm anxious to try.

 

[shibumiseeker]

On my way to work I see a house that has a couple of trees with milk jugs attached to them. I figured they were taps for syrup.

Typically how long do you leave the tap on a tree?

Depends on a lot of factors, but most will produce for 4-8 weeks after being tapped. I tap a few in December, then a few more in January, then a few more in February most years (this year was an exception, I was gone too much). By the time I've tapped in February most of the production from the December taps is gone.

Biggest year I did it, I had around 250 trees tapped and about 450 taps in. I could fill the 400 gallon sap tank in a day on a good day.

 

[Clay]

Hmmmm blends. I wonder if sassafras would be good for blending? I know sassafras root tea is awesome! and you can make root beers from it as well.

 

[96firephoenix]

its a little late, and that tree in the pic is about the smallest you should be tapping. I wouldn't be surprised if your sap is extremely bitter.

filtering and boiling sterilize it sufficiently. for filtering, we used a tea strainer.

edit: make sure you don't boil it down in something that the steam can vent indoors... otherwise you'll get a nice gooey film over the cieling. we drilled a hole through our kitchen wall and ran some copper tubing through to a steam vent and then rubber tubing to the steam outlet on our pressure cooker.

 

[Gamez235]

Any links on where to get the a deal on some quality stuff to do this.

 

[shibumiseeker]

Any links on where to get the a deal on some quality stuff to do this.

I get my stuff from:
Anderson's Maple Syrup

If you are going to do it in any quantity greater than a few quarts, lines are the best way to go, it saves a ton of time hauling sap around.