walnut vacuum

[maplefarmer]

trying to find out if anybody does or has tapped walnut trees and ran them on a vacuum system? any results?

[220 maple]

Currently in West Virginia there is lots of research being done on walnut syrup production, at my uncle farm there is at least 500 walnut taps under high vacuum, over 25 pounds at the pump, I believe the walnut system is tight! Sap is not surging when it come into the releaser, the maple releaser that is in the same room definitely has air leaks because of Sap surging, the walnut trees have been producing for two weeks now, in my opinion been producing very good considering walnuts don’t have the branches, stems and twigs like a maple, under high vacuum the sap is running at 1 percent right now. That would be ok, you can not run the sap thru a RO because the pectin in walnut sap will ruin a membrane. I was hoping this would work because I have that many walnuts or more on my two farms. Dr Mike Rechlin and field assistant Kate Fotos have published info about Walnuts, Future Generations University web site should have info on Walnut Research
Mark 220 Maple

[220 maple]

What is driving this is the value of Walnut Syrup, a family in Highland County Virginia last year made several gallons of walnut syrup, then got a article in the Roanoke Times, which AP picked up and the article ran in several bigger newspapers, they averaged any where from 500 to 800 dollars a gallon, small sizes blended with maple! I believe the bulk price is 250 to 320 a gallon for pure walnut syrup, Dr. Mike Farrell owner of New Leaf syrups is always looking for unique syrups.
Mark 220 Maple

[maplefarmer]

thank you 220 maple, we have dabbled with walnut syrup but never really tried to figure what amounts of sap we got per tap on gravity, i know they are fickle and don't run like maple trees. how much sap would you say you get per tap, both ways on gravity, and with vacuum

[220 maple]

There is info available from previous studies, I will talk to Dr Rechlin see if I can get some more info to you! There is more on going studies this Spring because the value of walnut syrup is so high and West Virginia has abundance of walnut trees not as many as Missouri but close, one of West Virginia’s claim to fame is we have more Maples than the state of Vermont! There is two reason we will never by pass Vermont, number 1 the weather, number 2 their is basically too much maple syrup made now, therefore the bulk price will never go up! Why consider get into something when the money is not there!
Mark 220
Maple

[Openwater]

Mark, thanks for the info about walnut sap.
I have almost the same number of walnuts as maple trees and was going to just combine the saps before running thru the RO. If the walnut sap will ruin the RO membrane, I'll just have to keep the saps separated during storage before RO'ing the maple sap.

[220 maple]

Open water,
Talked to Dr. Recklin the other evening, He questioned Dr. Farrel about ROing walnut sap apparently per Dr. Farrell it does not ruin the membrane of a RO machine, though it does slow it down because of the pectin which forces more rinsing and washing, if you are going to make for yourself only then mixing sap is ok but selling to the public is a different issue, neither product is not pure, Pure Maple or Pure Walnut!
Mark 220’Maple

[Openwater]

Yeah, I only produce for family and friends. I still might keep the walnut sap separate. I only have a RO5 Bucket and would like to keep that 1 membrane functioning as long as possible.