Comments on: Make Your Own Maple Syrup (part 1)

By: Michelle

Michelle — Sat, 30 Mar 2019 17:51:56 +0000

In reply to Betsy Naselli. If it is a maple, Betsy, it is a wonderful candidate for tapping... truly ANY maple, along with your Black Walnuts! in fact, there is a list of 23 trees that make wonderful syrup in my subscriber library, which you're welcome to download. Maybe you have even more tappable trees! I highly recommend getting a few taps and buckets and gathering some of your sap right away. The sap starts to turn bitter tasting as soon as the tree buds start to swell.

By: Betsy Naselli

Betsy Naselli — Sat, 30 Mar 2019 14:04:52 +0000

I noticed some sap buckets hanging in the backyard of a home that I drive by on my way home which has started me thinking: we have 4 acres; about 2 of it is woods. We have maples and black walnut primarily. Do any maples qualify for tapping, or only certain ones? I grew up in the Adirondacks and our neighbors had a sugar bush so I am only familiar with syrup making on that large scale, not a few buckets in the back yard. They kept a wood fire continually burning under a gigantic open vat of sap day and night. Some of my fondest memories are of eating syrup drizzled over snow in a cup.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Wed, 08 Feb 2017 05:02:23 +0000

In reply to Sammi Ricke. We'll have to talk, Sammi! Last year was our first go-round at the whole maple syrup thing, so we barely had enough for ourselves, but we've been reading, talking to experts, and learning a lot. So I'm truly hoping we have a few jars to sell this year. And I'm sure we could ship one or two. :-)

By: Sammi Ricke

Sammi Ricke — Sat, 04 Feb 2017 02:22:32 +0000

I can’t get enough of your photos, Michelle! Where you live looks positively dreamy 🙂 How do you feel about shipping your delicious and fresh maple syrup? 😉

By: Michelle

Michelle — Sun, 29 Jan 2017 07:30:23 +0000

In reply to Citybilly. This sounds wonderful! I will absolutely be trying this this March. Thanks for sharing; now I'm more eager than ever for the sap to start flowing!

By: Citybilly

Citybilly — Sat, 28 Jan 2017 11:39:19 +0000

Try this. We drink it all through the spring, and everyone loves it.
1 gallon sap, 6-8 cucumber slices, 4 strawberries – cut in halves or quarters

By: Michelle

Michelle — Wed, 25 Jan 2017 19:37:57 +0000

In reply to Elizabeth L. Johnson.

So glad you hopped over here Elizabeth! (I adore Jill, and I was tickled yesterday when she told me she’d be sharing my maple syrup post.) I hope you take a second to jump on my weekly newsletter list; I’d love to send you my update of the mistakes I’m learning from every week. 🙂 My teens tell me I romanticize our life, and maybe I do… but we are indeed very blessed.

By: Elizabeth L. Johnson

Elizabeth L. Johnson — Wed, 25 Jan 2017 18:39:19 +0000

First-time-reader, through Jill Winger, the Prairie Homesteader! Your way of life seems so homey and I love the scriptures you include!

By: Michelle

Michelle — Sat, 17 Dec 2016 04:53:41 +0000

In reply to Michelle.

Yes, I had heard that other trees could be tapped–thank you for pointing that out, Michelle! And our apple trees are on the other spectrum from yours… Ours are very old. In the three apple seasons since we’ve lived here, production has been dramatically different each year… I’m glad you’ll be following along!

By: Michelle

Michelle — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 04:39:13 +0000

How exciting! I look forward to following along. Did you know that other types of trees can be tapped as well? I didn’t until a few years ago, and don’t remember the list, but black walnut are among them. We have a lot of those, so a few years I tired it out. I think I got started a little on the late side and didn’t collect all that much sap, but it came out good! I may be inspired to try again this year. It takes a lot more sap of other types of trees, because of a lower sugar content, I think, so that’s why maple is favored. I love the picture of your apples, too! I have young apple trees, so I may be able to try making cider someday.