maple syrup

[raro]

Hi, I'm brand new here, and was wondering if anybody makes their own maple syrup. I live in the suburbs with a backyard that abuts a forest. I was looking at the maple trees and wondering how feasible it would be to make maple syrup in the spring. Anyone do it?

I am a sufficient-self wanna be. I have chickens, I try to make my own stuff, but much of what I do is dream big. I work during the day, and have health problems that prevent me from doing a whole lot, but it's good to find people who actually think like I do. Most of my family and friends think I'm eccentric at best, crazy at worst. They were aghast when I got chickens, predicted all sorts of dire issues...but it's one of the best things I have ever done!

 

[journey11]

Here is an excellent thread we had on this topic over at TEG....Making Maple Syrup . Great tutorial with lots of pics!

Really, it's not too early to be thinking of this. With fall foliage on, it will be easier to identify your trees now than it would be in February.

ETA: Oh, and !

 

[Farmfresh]

Sounds like you will fit right is around here!

 

[SKR8PN]

My friend and I do every year. He/we built an evaporator out of an old salad bar, a fuel oil tank, a few fire bricks and some sand.
He supplies the land with the trees, I supply the muscle and sap transportation to the evaporator and the appetite.

 

[i_am2bz]

Welcome aboard! I know you will love this site!

I lived in VT for 18 years, & MANY people there "sugar"...You drive around, even in towns, & see buckets hanging from trees everywhere. I've never done it myself, but so many "ordinary" folks do it, it can't be THAT hard...

Good luck!

 

[freemotion]

I missed my chance last year, we had a strange year. The sap started running early and fast and I missed it. But this year.....I hope to be ready! I want to make my own taps and do everything without spending any money, that is my goal....using what I have already on hand. So wooden taps, saved up jugs and five gallon pails (I have sea water in four of them now, that will be made into salt by the time the sap is running) and I have some surgical tubing that was given to me that I plan on running from tap to pail. Rocket stove made from stacked bricks/cinder blocks and mostly old xmas tree trunks (the goats eat the needles off leftover trees all winter, I have 48 dry trunks from last winter) as fuel. Homemade wine to nourish the fire tenders, hopefully lots of good conversation around the fire!

 

[Henrietta23]

We've made a small amount here from one large maple in our front yard. It's not even a sugar maple. That just means we get a little less syrup because the sap contains more water. We also tapped two huge maples at our church but they've been cut down. We boiled the sap down in the kitchen but this year my husband plans to convert an old gas grill into an outdoor boiler. There are several articles on how to do this around. One I think I found in Mother Earth News. It was a lot of work but it was a great experience for our son and the syrup is perfectly edible!

 

[i_am2bz]

I should also add, it would be a nice little side business if you get enough to sell. I seem to remember that pure maple syrup cost a pretty penny in VT, like $35/gal for the good stuff...

 

[Wifezilla]

That sounds like a great setup free

My brother and I tapped 1 tree as an experiment when we were kids. Ended up with 4 or 5 gallons of sap and make 1 qt of syrup out of it. Our "tap" was the barrel of a metal pen

 

[raro]

Thanks! What a nifty idea. I will plan and research for it.