Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) The sugar maple yields the highest volume and concentration of sap, making it a superior candidate for tapping. If you have an abundance of trees that you can utilize for tapping, you should absolutely try this rewarding experience. Spiles are necessary for channeling sap out of the tree and into the bucket This task is fairly easy. And if the shavings are a dark brown when you drill into it, pick a different spot (the shavings should be light brown). It has bark that is dark gray in color. Insert the spout after cleaning out the drilled hole of all shaving. As a child I experimented with tapping maple trees in Ontario Canada – usually during the first week of March. How to tap your tree. 3. How to Tap a Maple Tree for Syrup & Sugar Production. If you’re placing more than one, you’ll want to divide them around the circumference of the tree. This gives the sap a chance to flow up during the day, and down at night. Spiles. • Buckets or Bags – Traditional tappers use buckets that can be hung on or above the spout and onto the tree to collect sap. How to Tap Maple Trees. If the tree has a big “crown” or lots of full and sturdy branches in its mid-section, it might be a great sap producer. If you delay and let the sap sit in a bucket overnight it will likely freeze and have to be pitched. If your spiles do not come with hooks (the ones I linked above do), you’ll want to make sure you buy hooks for your buckets. 5. What species of maple tree is it? Most tappers recommend drilling the tapping hole on the southern facing side of the tree, beneath a large branch. If you have not taken a hike around your homestead and mapped out all the types of maple trees you have on hand to tap, pull on your boots and do so quickly, before the prime part of tapping season has passed. You need to make sure you’re ready. Are you looking for a group of like-minded people that love the heritage way of life?? Want to branch out from maple? Generally, a single tree can be tapped up to three times before you have to move on to another one. Maple trees that give the most sap are of the sugar or black variety. Do not pound it, this will split the wood. If you’ve tapped the tree in previous years, do not tap within 6″ of the previous holes. • Spouts – some tappers and stores refer to the spouts as spiles. For trees 12-20″ in diameter, you’ll use one spile each. Buds begin to appear on the Silver Maple tree early in the year, before prime tapping temperatures present and sustain themselves, in many regions. The most important step in the process of tapping a tree for maple is finding just the right tree. • Tree tapping is a lot of work. 10 Essential Crops for a Self Sufficient Garden. The amount of sap that flows from this variety of walnut tree is also often comparable to the yield from the Sugar Maple tree. Unless you purchase a maple sugar starter kit like this one. Thankfully, you can still purchase aluminum sap buckets and lids on Amazon or even at your local farm store. Make each cut just above a lateral branch that is at least 1/3 the diameter of the cut stem. Typically, the sap flows best with these fluctuations in temperature. Wife, mama to three awesome farm girls, and passionate about helping others ditch the status quo to live more self sufficient lives, no matter where they live. © 2020 New Life On A Homestead | Homesteading Blog, Delicious Crack Chicken Recipe in Pressure Cooker. Make sure that the size of your drill bit matches up with the tap, also known as a spile, for a snug fit. Each produces a syrup with a slightly different flavor profile. Hang your bucket or bag on the tree – this is usually done by hanging it onto the hook facing outward on the spout, but not all spouts and spiles come with a hook. Keep in mind that it takes about 40 gallons of sap to produce one gallon of syrup. Use this guide to decide which trees to tap and learn about making birch syrup, making walnut syrup, and making sycamore syrup. We don’t like plastic. Never tap a maple tree that is smaller than 10 inches/25 cm in diameter. Gently tap the spile into the tree with a hammer (do not pound the spile into the tree, as this may cause the wood to split). The Sugar Maple grows in significant numbers in USDA zones 4 through 8. Use a hammer to lightly tap the spile into the hole. Picking trees with the most exposure to sunlight can also help with the flow of sap. Everyone would go out around late February into March and tap maples for syrup. Inspect the shaving churned out while drilling the tapping hole. Keep checking until the sap stops flowing and then you can turn the sap into syrup. Drill a hole about 1-1/2″ – 2″ into the tree at an slight upward angle. If you have chosen the right time to tap, the sap from the tree should begin to flow, at least slightly, from the tree immediately after the spout has been affixed. Tapping Maple Trees for Syrup (Acer Species) There are 10 different species of maple tree that can be tapped for syrup. • Big Leaf – These maple trees are routinely found growing abundantly from California all the way up to British Columbia. No problem, there are more than one dozen other trees common to the United States that can also be tapped for syrup and sugar. How to Tap Trees for Syrup. In my personal experience, the 5-gallon buckets with lids sold at farm and garden stores like Tractor Supply or Rural King work just fine for tapping trees. I can’t tell from the picture. A second tap may be added to trees between 20 and 25 inches in diameter. The sap turned into syrup from this tree is typically deemed just as sweet as the sap created by the Sugar Maple tree – and there is usually about twice as much of it. • Holder or Hooks – Holders are sold to hang either buckets or bags and purchased by some tree tappers. Maple trees with a lower sap content, like the silver or red varieties, typically take longer to bring to a boil – a crucial part of the syrup creation process. • Some folks love to drink the sap right after it flows from the tree, this is not recommended! They make these in metal and even plastic. You tap maple trees in the spring when the temperatures are getting warmer. Some days, your buckets might be almost overflowing when you hike out to check them, but other days you might find only a very small amount of sap in the bottom of the bucket or bag. Published: December 26, 2019 • Modified: March 20, 2020 • By: Danielle McCoy • As an amazon affiliate I earn commissions on qualifying purchases. Hooks. Hard maple tree varieties like the black, rocky, and sugar maple, typically produce the highest sap content. Why tap a maple tree? A tree should be at least 10 inches in diameter, measured at 4 1/2 feet above the ground, before tapping. A hammer will do wonders for this task. We prefer metal. The equipment you will need to tap about 10 trees should not cost your most than $50, depending upon the prices at the local or online store you shop. • Sugar – This is the “go to” tree for tapping. Use a hammer or rubber mallet to tap, gently now, the spout into the hold to secure it into place. For any tree 27″ or larger in diameter, it will take three. First off, you can tap many deciduous trees for sap. The trees selected should be fully mature and measure a minimum of 12 inches in diameter – and of course, healthy. This site may earn commissions when you click on certain links. You have to check the buckets and collect the sap daily – no matter how busy you are or what the weather is like outdoors. 2. Simply hang your bucket and lid and move on to the next tree. For huge trees above 27 inches in diameter, use three taps when collecting sap. It is best to distribute the tapping holes around the tree’s circumference when putting in a new season holes or making multiple tapping holes on a large tree for the first time. Tap My Trees is the #1 supplier of maple sugaring supplies for the hobbyist. The season usually lasts about a month to a month and a half is all and the most sap will flow earliest in the season. How to Tap Trees Drill a hole in a tree, 2 - 4 feet above the ground. To make the hole through which sap will flow, you’ll need a drill. The tree should be at least 10 inches in diameter before it can be tapped. Sap will flow from this tree only when evening temperatures are firmly below the freezing level for at least one week. If the sap is flowing, you should immediately see sap dripping from the spile. See more ideas about maple tree, tapping maple trees, maple. Buckets and lids. 2. The bark on hard maple tree varieties is typically filled with deep and narrow furrows. You’ll need: Cordless Drill and bit. Typically, a 7/16 or 5/16 drill bit will work for most spouts and trees. You’ll want to locate the trees you plan to use and use the guidelines above for how many taps to put into each tree. This doesn’t require anything fancy, just a few things and you’ll have sap flowing. • White Walnut – Sap from the White Walnut (or Butternut Tree) contains the same high percentage of sugar as the Sugar Maple tree. 1. Tap in the spout good and snug – … The sweetness of the syrup produced from this tree is comparable to that of a Sugar Maple tree, even though it is churned out in less abundance. A lot of times you will tap a tree that you think is a maple tree going to find out that there’s no SAP the reason why there’s no SAP is that it’s probably not a maple. Any kind of maple tree can be tapped, but the best sap comes from sugar maples, tapped in spring. If the maple tree measures 8”-18” one tap can be made in the tree. Jan 16, 2017 - Explore Heather Clower's board "Tapping maple trees", followed by 161 people on Pinterest. If you use a bucket not manufactured for tapping trees, make sure it is a clean food-grade container that is capable of holding 5 gallons of sap. Copyright © 2020 The Rustic Elk •all rights reserved•. • Red – Sap from this maple tree contains about a 1.7% sugar content. You could also get a maple tapping starter kit that has all of the specialty things you will need. The trees, maple and otherwise, that have average to above average sunlight exposure usually produce the most sap. You should assume any link is an affiliate link. You’ll want to check your buckets daily and empty any collected sap. The sap from maple and most other tappable trees begins to flow when the temperature during the daytime is consistently above freezing, and when evening temperatures still hover at or below 32 degrees. Me too. You’ll be mighty disappointed if you don’t have a way to hang them. These trees could be defined as the most generous trees of all, in terms of sap production and sugar release. If you’re only placing one tap, you will want it on the south side of the tree. Don’t drive too hard and don’t tap when the temperature is below freezing to avoid splitting the … Typically, this variety of maple tree will have a more watery or thinner sap and a low sugar content. Tapping Tips. But, the most common trees used are sugar maples. Trimming maple trees involves pruning out diseased or broken branches at least 6 inches into healthy wood. Once you drill your hole, you’ll need to pound your spile into the tree. Attach the lid to the bucket and spout/spile as indicated by the directions on your specific equipment. Keep checking until the sap stops flowing and then you can turn the sap into syrup. If you hit dark brown again, it may not be worth your time and effort to try to tap the tree. • The amount of sap you get in your buckets in a single day will vary based upon fluctuations in temperature. Many tappers use a mixture of 1-part bleach (unscented) to 20 parts water to clean their equipment. Hard maple varieties begin letting loose of their seeds usually in either the late summer or early autumn. When the tree being tapped is between 20 to 27 inches in diameter, you may need to use two taps to capture all of the sap. The exact time to start and stop tapping trees for maple syrup depends largely on where you live. • Rocky Mountain Maple – This tree grows in the region which bears its name. That is where the sap is going to start to flow first because that side of the tree warms up first. You’ll want to make sure that your trees are a minimum of 12 inches in diameter (indicating they are mature) and of course, healthy. Of course, like most things, timing is everything with tapping. Typically, trees are prime for tapping between the middle of February through mid-March. But, that doesn’t mean the process isn’t worthwhile. Generally, if the weather is right, the sap will immediately begin flowing from the tree. You’ll be glad you did. • Use tree tapping pouches like the ones in the photo below to keep debris and other impurities away from your sap. Join The Self Sufficient Life group here. The sweetest and best sap is usually produced during the early days and weeks of the season. The height of your spile should be comfortable for you. • Black – This maple tree generally offers the highest production of sap each season. It is the combination of the chilly night time temperatures and the warm daytime temperatures that causes the sap to flow both easily and fairly rapidly, from the trees. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. We are enrolled in the Amazon Associates program, so we may earn a commission if you purchase something from Amazon after clicking one of our links. Trees are best tapped when the temperature is warm during the day and cold at night. If a tree is under 12″ in diameter, do not tap it. 3. The time has come. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If the tree has been tapped before, make sure you do not locate the hole within 6 inches from the prior sap collection spot. stay above freezing and leaf buds appear, the maple syrup season is over. It is vital to remember that a tree is a living thing, even when it is sleeping all winter long, and that it can (and will) heal itself. Red and silver maple trees will also provide sap, but not as much as the other two species. When you start tapping, you’re actually drilling a hole into the trunk of the tree with a power drill. The leaves from hard maple trees are usually dark green with smooth points. • For best results, use or process the sap within one week of collection. Look for a maple tree that is at least 12 inches in diameter and has a lot of direct sunlight. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. above photo shows a sugar maple tree leaf. How to tap a maple tree This blog comes from Cathy Entwhistle, a Senior Park Interpreter at Bronte Creek Provincial Park. You will want to use a bit about the same diameter as your spile (typically 5/16″ or 7/16″ ). You want to hit the xylem or sapwood of the tree. • The sap must be stored at a temperature of 38F or colder for best results. You’ll want to drill at a slight angle to facilitate the downward flow of sap. • Big Tooth Maple – This sap producing maple tree grows primarily in the Rocky Mountains region and in Texas. The trees closely resemble sugar maples and can be distinguished by their leaves. This will vary wildly depending on the tree, but typically each tree will produce anywhere from 5 to 15 gallons of sap per tap, per season. You’ve got your trees identified, the weather is right, and you’ve gathered your supplies. It’s that time of year again, when the sweet sounds of spring fill Bronte Creek Provincial Park : the twittering of returning songbirds, the laughter of visitors strolling through the woods, and the plink! Do not hammer the spile Drink sap straight from the maple. 7. Just when the weather starts the warm, but the ground is still snow covered and cold… that’s the perfect time for tapping trees for sap you can boil into syrup. 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