After seeing a few other properties around town with sap buckets hanging from their trees, the HH decided it was time to get ours set up as well. Since we’ve never tapped trees before, this will be an adventure, that’s for sure. đ
We have 2 suitable maple trees on our property and both of the trees have multiple trunks that are over 10″ inches in diameter {the minimum size a tree at 4 1/2 feet should be to tap it}.
Following the advice we found online {and everything you read online is true, right?} we decided to set up multiple buckets {3 on 1 tree, 4 on the other} and hope for the best.
Setting up the taps and buckets was the easy part. It’s the waiting for the sap to flow that’s a bit of a nail-biter.
He had everything set up by noon, and a few hours later we went to check the buckets and the sap had started flowing!! {VERY EXCITING!}
But by the next morning the temps had dropped below freezing and so the sap stopped flowing. đ And we haven’t gotten any sap since {because of the daytime freezing temps}.
Luckily though, things are supposed to warm up this weekend so we should start to see the sap flowing again.
So far we’ve spent $170 on supplies for this venture {sap buckets, lids, taps, a special funnel, thermometer and a some other sort of doohickey} and so to even break even {local, real maple syrup goes for about $35 for a 1/2 gallon here} we’d need to be able to produce about 2 1/2 gallons of finished product.
But that’s not even factoring in the propane we’re going to need to buy to cook down the sap!!
Of course using a wood fire to boil down the sap would be much cheaper…. but you know, someone {who shall not be named} didn’t believe me when I told him we should buy 4 cords of wood {to heat our house this winter} and so now that we’re out of firewood…. we’ll have to buy propane to boil down the sap.
Oh, and did I mention… we will need 40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of maple syrup?
Basically we’ll need to collect 2 of those giant jugs above to fill 1 little bottle of finished syrup.
Winter in Maine. The adventure never seems to end. đ
Keep Calm and Carry On.
~Mavis
Aimee says
My husband wants to tap our one maple tree. I am not going to boil down one bucket as I get it. How are you storing your sap? 40 gallons seems like it would take up a lot of space. Last time I bought maple syrup it was $10 a quart for organic at Bj’s in MA. I am sure it is not that now.
Cindy Miller says
It will be interesting for sure to see how this turns out. Never tapped trees before.
Katelyn says
40 gallons is a lot but when it really starts flowing, you could easily fill those buckets twice or three times a day. It’s quite remarkable!
Jamie says
Well if you succeed & can do it year after year you will come out ahead. This year you probably just have to look at as an investment & learning year!
Heather C. says
Mavis,
Good luck on your new adventure into Maple sugaring!I have not boiled sap in over 20 years, but the two things I remember most vividly.
1)Sap can spoil if the temps are too warm so make sure to keep it cool prior to boiling.
2)Watch your temp. when evaporating like a hawk. I was using a wood-fire evaporator but if the temp went too high and burned it would require a sandblaster to remove it from the long pan. I assume it would burn to a normal pan just as easy.
Kath says
I agree with Jamie. Unless this is a âonce and doneâ project, the cost of the supplies is an investment that you wonât have in subsequent years.
Margo says
I wish you luck in your adventure. I happily pay about $12 a liter at Costco here in California. Canât stand that artificial stuff. Enjoy! Hope you bought your propane already. Prices keep going up.
Tammy says
You may not break even this year, but next year and the years following, you’ll have all the supplies on hand! What a fun adventure! I wanted to tap trees when we lived in Michigan, but we didn’t have any maple trees. LOL My next door neighbor did but it was right by the road. I don’t see myself ever living in a cold region again, but if we do I’ll make sure to look for maple trees on the property! Ha!
Carol says
We tap 15-17 trees, some ssproduce more than others,and it takes about a week to get 40 gallons. We hold them on the back patio in a stainless steel barrel we got in a swap for a kitchen sink, it has a ss lid, too. We hook up a gas cooktop on the back patio with wind break built around it, and hook it up to a gas line in the indoor fireplace. We cook it down on the cooktop in two large pots, just keep pouring more in over about 2 or 3 days. We use a jelly screen to screen out ants from the sap. When it gets down far enough that we can get in into one pot, I take it into the house and finish it out on the kitchen stove. The last few hours are the most critical. It easily seizes up at the end. Ask me how I know. I used to can it, but not sure it’s safe to do that, so now I keep it in the freezer. It’s so sweet it doesn’t even freeze solid. One gallon is plenty for us for a year. Good luck. It’s fun and you will know it’s pure.
Diana says
My brother and his Scout troop tapped trees and made syrup years ago. It was delish! They used an old water heater cut in half to do the boiling and set it over a roaring fire. Always the innovator, my brother, lol…
Laura says
I tapped two trees in my yard for the first time last year and got two and half jars of syrup. It sure is a labor of love. I boiled every weekend on the stovetop but my ceiling paint started cracking so this year I’m going to boil outside in my turkey pot and burner. Some of the syrup crystalized in the fridge but I chopped it up and used it in baking, don’t want to waste any! I save up distilled water gallon jugs to store the sap in the fridge till I have time to boil it. Good luck!
Linda Sand says
You can freeze the sap to boil later. We used to go to a camp where the manager collected and froze the sap for a couple months until he had enough for a weekend of guests coming to do the boiling. If you boil the last batch long enough you get maple sugar.
Elisabeth says
Thanks for taking us along for the ride. Very exotic–tree tapping!
Kippy says
Maybe next year you can heat the sap on the fabulous AGA!
Cecile says
Why wouldn’t you use your stove to boil down the sap? We used an old cast wood stove when we were kids to boil the sap down. My husband’s uncle had a huge boil pan in multi segments that would pour into the next as it boiled thicker. KIS is the easiest way of going about this! A large stainless steel pot a stove with the element on a low boil and lots of pancakes to eat for the first batch that’s boiled down!
Toni in Niagara says
Because if you have a fan over the stove, it and the venting get a fine film of sticky goo. If you don’t have a fan, then the entire kitchen (cupboard doors, ceiling, counters, floor…. get a fine film of sticky goo.
Cheryl says
“Of course using a wood fire to boil down the sap would be much cheaperâŚ. but you know, someone {who shall not be named} didnât believe me when I told him we should buy 4 cords of wood {to heat our house this winter} and so now that weâre out of firewoodâŚ. weâll have to buy propane to boil down the sap.” Too funny!
You live and you learn is what I always tell my husband!
Labella says
I purchase a couple feet of tubing and let the sap drip into a pitcher or gallon water jug. (>$2). The sap is so delicious as a mere drink, an energy drink. Just slightly sweet. I freeze it in quart sized containers and drink thoughout the year, Syrup? Nope, I much prefer the raw sap. Yum, I can’t wait!
Paula says
On another note – have you seen this book yet?? Lots of inspiration.
Remodelista in Maine: A Design Loverâs Guide to Inspired, Down-to-Earth Style
Linda Practical Parsimony says
This is so exciting to me, a Southerner who knows nothing at all about this.