Sap from red maple trees?

[Redmaple]

I was wondering how the syrup tasted and looked from only using sap from red maples. Also what is an average sugar content of red maple sap? I have mostly red's on the property. Thanks

[Dan W]

I tap almost all reds-only 5 or 6 sugars out of almost 300. My trees go about 1.5 to 2.25 % averaging 1.5 to 1.75. They still make good syrup.

[Etown Maple Syrup]

Great question. All my trees are Red. Early to mid season was a light color and great flavor. Late season was dark and great flavor. I entered my syrup in the summer fair, and won first prize. Since I have no other tree choices available, Reds are great! Anyway, I do not have a refractometer, but my ratio was about 50 to 1. Here are a few pictures. Good Luck!51315132

[markct]

i tap probably 90 percent red maples, maybe more, its just what we have here, they are so so as to sap runs on gravity but on vac they realy pour out the sap! i made about 1/3 gal per tap last year on a marginal season, i tap about 500 taps and am adding more on this year. they make a delicious syrup

[adk1]

tap what you have and dont ask any questions! I ahve a mix of reds and sugars.. I will know more tomorrow when I start running my lats but Iwould say 70% sugars and the rest are reds..and I will be tapping every red that is within reach!

[maple maniac65]

I have 16 taps in red maples that avaraged 2.7 last year. The rock maples in the orchard on the North side avaraged 2.3

[adk1]

well, than your doing well. tap every maple you can, that is what I am doing.

[tuckermtn]

I have a red right across from the sugarhouse that measured 4.5 last year. couldn't believe it. will make your syrup have a nice red hue to it- like in Cassell's

[adk1]

alot has to depend on soil and site conditions. I will tell you though, that Backyard Sugarin book is not good. Everyone says you should read it but after reading the NAMP manual, and being on this site, alot of what the BAckyard Sugarin Book says is NOT GOOD

[Cardigan99]

I have a red right across from the sugarhouse that measured 4.5 last year. couldn't believe it. will make your syrup have a nice red hue to it- like in Cassell's

I run something like 60% reds and 40% sugars. Several of the reds start off the season above 3%.

Eric, I'd look into clonal propagation of that tree. You could be on to a fast growing, high sugar content tree.

[mike z]

In my experience (only 7 yrs or so) the Reds seem to start running a little later then the Sugars but stop running earlier. Some of the Reds test pretty high for sugar content. They seem to be more sporadic in running while the Sugars are more steady. But I tap them all. Taste the same to me.

[red maples]

Yes its 4:20 and I am up why why!!! maple on the brain thinking about all the stuff I have to do !!!

I tap about 90%reds...Reds make excllent syrup and it does get that nice red hue, as mentioned earlier, which can be tricky when grading from dark to Grade B becasue the grading kits are brown, but it looks really sexy in glass.

Reds can be finicky that is the main issue if on gravity/buckets one red might run as good as a sugar and have 3% sugar the very next one you might get a drip and it might be 1% sugar. hook Them up to vacuum and they all run like crazy!!! and yes soil and other conditions apply just like any tree. tall little crown in the swamps can have very low sugar(unfortunatley thats my issue for alot of trees). mine usually start out right between 2-3 % then quickly drop off to 1.5% and go down from there as the season progresses. it hard to tell exactly with a sap hydro because they are so temp sensitive a few dergrees off and they can measure a big difference but I can tell the as the sugar drops off by how much sap I am pushing through the evap. and how little I am drawing off. but I don't mind boiling water at the end of the season.

I get many compliments on the flavor of my syrup as my sales keep going up!!! I just can't wait till I get an RO so I can get that sugar content up a bit. I actually got a complement last year from maple weekend that mine had the best flavot out of all the sugarhouses that someone visited and they went to 9 sugarhouses over the 2 days and bought a gallon from me. and now combac all the time!!!

The best is when they come in and get a pint because your local and they ran out of VT maple syrup that they get every year on vacation,then come back in a week to buy 1/2 gallon because they say its way better than the stuff they usually get!!! sorry VT.

[adk1]

Nice, I have many reds but they are on steep hills, somewhat well drained. Red, at least you didnt say "better than what they get in NY" ;)

[Redmaple]

Thanks for the good news. This will be my first year thinning around the maples. Half of my trees are in wetlands that are dry under foot. They have small crowns that are being smothered by hemlock. I have been loosing sleep thinking about the 8,000 feet of mainline I have not started on. I was not sure to fully invest in a red maple only bush but I will now on your advice and opinions. Check out my my masport pump http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYTodtEYubg&context=C3ba0e53ADOEgsToPDskJsKhqiPJULtdTAe5Ido8Wg Thanks again for the help and I will be posting detailed videos of setting up everything this year. :)

[sapman]

I tap about 75% reds/silvers, sort of as an aftertought. I was after the 600~sugars on a hill, but across the road is mostly-swampy ground, which is where the saphouse is located. I started adding them and they are now my staple bush with about 1600 taps there. My tests are neck and neck for sugar content, sometimes the softs actually a little sweeter. Oh, and I didn't notice any difference in taste, either, from when I was all buckets on roadside sugar maples.

[sjdoyon]

I was wondering how the syrup tasted and looked from only using sap from red maples. Also what is an average sugar content of red maple sap? I have mostly red's on the property. Thanks

Syrup tastes fine. Most people can't tell the difference if it's made from a red maple, sugar or black. Up north the reds run a shorter season and go dark a lot quicker than the rock or sugar maples. You have to tap what you have so go for it.

[Maplebrook]

I tap 300 reds. No sugars in sight. I don't test sap sugar content or grade my syrup. (all for home use/gifts)

Average ratio is 55:1. Last season I made 26 of yer US gallons (100 litres to me!)

Yesterday I attended the Nova Scotia Maple Producers Association AGM. A guy there with the letters DR. in front of his name said Sugar Maples may go the way of the dodo bird thanks to climate change. Reds may become the dominant hardwood in North America.

Better Red than dead!

Darren