Buddy sap

[Dan W]

Does buddy sap have a noticable taste or is it only in the syrup? Some of my best trees are budding pretty well. I would like to use the sap but don"t want bad syrup.

[325abn]

You will know it when it gets buddy.

[maplekid]

more or less tastes like wood and smells fishy when boiling

[Dan W]

Is there any way to tell prior to boiling? I wouldn't want to add buddy sap that would render what was already in the pan inedible. Thanks, Dan.

[RileySugarbush]

Tastes more like wood that's been dragged through a benzine refinery to me....

[PerryW]

take a 1/2 gallon of sap and divide it into 4 equal pots and put one on each stove burner and turn all four burners on and boil like crazy. When they get too low, combine them till you have it all in one small pot.

You can have an 1.5 oz of finished syrup to taste in 30 minutes or so.

[halfast tapper]

Buddy sap usually is not clear has a cloud to it. Also it will smell kinda rancid.

[Dan W]

Thanks HT. That is the kind of information I was looking for. Dan.

[halfast tapper]

But also remember at todays prices it does pay to boil all you can cause you can sell it for commercial syrup.

[SHOCKERS]

Well I just picked up 20 gal of cloudy sap but it still tastes good. My buds are getting big but I don't taste the difference. My pails are getting a little mold in them so I am going to pull my pails tomorow and clean them. Do I just keep making it until I taste a difference? The next two weeks look good weather wise!!!

[KenWP]

Okay I know this has probbably been mentioned but I am wondering at the clear signs of buddy sap. I have 6 big silver maples in my yard and the first tree to run sap has the buds open after two days of warm weather but the sap is still clear as its allwasy has been. Will it have a hidden after tase once boiled maybe. If the sap runs again I plan on holding the sap from them back and boiling seperate and see if I can tell a difference unless it runs yellow or cloudy and then I will pull the taps and move them to other sugar maples. I have hundreds of those to choose from if I walk far enough.

[PerryW]

Will it have a hidden after tase once boiled maybe.

Yes. I have seen nice clear sap yield buddy tasting syrup.

If you have plenty of sugar maples, then I would avoid tapping the silver maples. Also if you have plenty of Sugar Maple, you can avoid the red maples due to their slightly lower sugar content and their shorter season.

I wouldn't worry just yet about the Sugar Maples producing buddy sap just yet for your location. On the basis or your sap reports from Ayres Cliff, your season is a week or two later than mine and I'm still making good tasting Grade A Dark Amber from my sugar maples.