"We never tapped red maples"

[heus]

Funny I cut down a very old and dead red maple yesterday as I am starting to put up a mainline. Looking at the stump, it was filled with tap shadows from when my great grandfather tapped this woods decades ago. I have been told by some family members that they never tapped red maples back in the day.

[adk1]

I would imagine that if a red maple tree was in easy reach, it was tapped. Having said that, I have seen slides of old sugarbushes that were tapping 6 and 7" maples cause they were in easy reach!

[red maples]

From what understand before the use of vacuum systems, RO's etc. folks didn't waste there time with red maples because without that vac they don't like to give up the sap and low sugar content. Now its possible that it was a good red and sap flowed heavy out of it. Before I put in the vac. some reds would run like crazy just as good as sugars and some would barely get a few drops.

[gmcooper]

Years ago a long time sugaring family from VT was here at the farm with a neighbor of ours that was related. I had just started making syrup again the year before. They nearly had a heart attack when I said I tap red maples with the sugars. They claimed they never owned a red maple big enough to tap let alone the thought of ruining a crop by tapping one! After they left their relative said appearently his family doesn't know a red maple from a sugar maple as they have two huge red maples at the end of the drive way at the road. He said they always had about 4 buckets on each!
What they say ain't always what they do!
Mark

[3rdgen.maple]

I am the first generation in the family to tap any red maple at all. I was told from the start when I wasnt even big enough to walk that you dont tap reds and the reason when questioning it was from both my father and grandfather was.......... Reds make dark syrup and will ruin the good stuff. Back then light syrup was what everyone wanted. I remember a couple years when they pulled taps and quit about a week into it because all they were making was dark and they couldnt sell it so when they had enough for their own use they pulled the plug. With the changes in evaporators and gph we can get it through the pans faster so it helps in the grade Im sure. Funny how things change. I cant sell any light and make candy with it instead. It took alot of convincing to get my dad onboard to tapping reds before I bought the place from him.

[Russell Lampron]

I tap mostly red maples because that it what I own. My father told me the same thing about red maples. They make dark syrup and the sugar content is lower. I made enough light syrup this season to prove that theory wrong and the sugar may be a little lower but not much. He also says that my grandfather said that red maples were a weed tree. They will grow anywhere and they aren't good for anything but firewood. I make some great tasting syrup from weeds!

[lastwoodsman]

I have tapped Reds (Acer Rubrum) for years and the syrup is just as light and the sap can run the same as sugars. That is anywhere from 1 to 3.5% the ones I have checked.
There is absolutely no difference in the end product. The reds will bud out earlier than sugars.
Currently I am tapping all sugars but for years all I tapped were reds. The sugars have come on in size and quanity in the last 30 years on my 40.
Woodsman

[red maples]

I tap mostly red maples because that it what I own. My father told me the same thing about red maples. They make dark syrup and the sugar content is lower. I made enough light syrup this season to prove that theory wrong and the sugar may be a little lower but not much. He also says that my grandfather said that red maples were a weed tree. They will grow anywhere and they aren't good for anything but firewood. I make some great tasting syrup from weeds!

SAme here...I did have alot of dark syrup this but last year I have lots of med.

[maple flats]

And I had lots of dark. Must be the 4 taps I had in red maples out of 710 total. I'll have to skip those reds in the future HA.
It's funny how some tales get established.

[500592]

I have always heard red maples refered to as pee maples cause if you cut them in the summer they smell like cat pee

[CBOYER]

Long time ago in Quebec, they said if you tap more than 10% reds, thats not real Maple syrup!!

[3rdgen.maple]

I have always heard red maples refered to as pee maples cause if you cut them in the summer they smell like cat pee

Thats weird cause that is what folks call the oak around here cause they do smell like cat urine. I remember my mom complaining as a kid about the smell of it in the house when dad stacked it in the cellar. I must say I agree it with them.

[PerryW]

Thats weird cause that is what folks call the oak around here cause they do smell like cat urine. I remember my mom complaining as a kid about the smell of it in the house when dad stacked it in the cellar. I must say I agree it with them.

DItto, just stacked some red oak under the porch a week ago. I was stacking some more wood in there today and all I could smell was the piss-oak.

[John c]

A hand held, portable refractometer is the best thing in the world! I don't care what kind of maple it is as long as the sugar content is high. I can tell you for a fact that if a red maple reads higher than a sugar maple I will tap the red! I'd rather spend extra time testing in the woods with my refractometer instead of wasting fuel and time boiling! I also don't care if my syrup is dark either because dark syrup is where the flavor is at!
That's my 2 ignorant cents. Remember, my best thinking got me where I am today!