+ Reply to Thread
Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 14

Thread: Norway Maples good for tapping???

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Traverse City MI
    Posts
    42

    Default Norway Maples good for tapping???

    I've had the good fortune of having a friend with a great 30-acre wood lot full of nice sugar maples to tap.
    My back yard has a giant Norway Maple in it and it never occurred to me to tap it. Can you you make syrup from Norways? And if I mix the sap with the sugars will it taste any different?
    TC matt
    NW lower MI
    6th year into it
    homemade 2x6 arch w/2x4 pan & warming pad
    40 taps, 15 gallons last year

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Skowhegan, Maine
    Posts
    1,299

    Default

    I think it tastes fine. Tap it! I have made syrup with Norways, Reds and Sugars and it all was delicious.
    325 taps
    2x6 Phaneuf
    Illegitimati non carborundum

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISbkO-NKA9o

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Caledon, Ontario
    Posts
    1,930

    Default

    I agree with Revi. I tapped mine last year with great results. DO IT!!
    ~ Karen ~

    2012 - 10 taps, 1 turkey fryer - 169.5L sap 4.2 L syrup
    2013 - 23 taps, 2 turkey fryers - 748.5 L sap 17.56 L syrup

    2014 - 22 taps, 509 L sap 12.5 L syrup
    2015 - 28 taps, 1093.75 L sap 25.1 L syrup
    2016 - 25 taps, 1223.5 L sap 28.25 L syrup
    2017 - 21 taps, 518.5 L sap 12.7 L syrup
    2018 - 28 taps, 2 turkey fryers & Denali 3 burner propane stove - 798L sap 16.9 L syrup
    2019 - 28 taps, 1409.5L sap 40.12L syrup

    Sugar, Norway, Manitoba, Silver and Freeman Maples



  4. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Feeding Hills, MA
    Posts
    202

    Default

    At my old house, we had Sugars and Norways in the yard. The Norways put out just as much sap as the Sugars. Because they all had a large canopy (lots of space around the threes), it seemed just a sweet as the Sugars. I don't believe there is any difference in the flavor of the syrup.
    -----------------------
    Bill Smith (Papa Smiff)
    • Hoping to build 2x4 with AOF & AUF
    • Looking for trees to tap in my suburban wasteland
    Hopes for 2014: Talk to neighbors about tapping trees behind their houses, and nearby roadside trees.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Potsdam in far northern New York
    Posts
    775

    Default

    Last year, I tested sap from five different kinds of maples. Some were above 2% and others were below 2%, but none of these numbers seemed linked to species. One of my biggest and most beautiful sugars...one that would fill four buckets every day, turns out to be at the lower end of the scale. Tap 'em all.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Michigan
    Posts
    71

    Default

    I tap Sugars and Norways, and notice no difference in flavor. My Norways test out at about 2.5 while sugars 3.5. Mix it all together and you end up with a respectable 3.0 or higher.
    42° 7' 14 N
    50-60 Taps
    Homemade 2x4 Arch
    I do it for fun with family and friends!

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Clinton, NY
    Posts
    277

    Default

    In the book, "Trees of the Eastern and Central United States and Canada" by William M. Harlow, in the remarks under the Silver Maple section is this paragraph:

    "Michaux states that a whiter, 'more tasty' sugar is made from the soft maples than from sugar maple but that from the same amount of sap, only about one-half as much sugar is obtained."

    So, while the latter part of that statement is completely dependent upon sugar content of the sap, the first part about the sugar being whiter and more tasty is interesting.

    So, sure! tap the Norways. Even the box elders. They ARE maples, one and all. Enjoy, and if you can, compare and see for yourself if Mr. Michaux was right.

    BTW, Dr. William Harlow was Professor of Wood Technology, Emeritus, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY. Better known to us around here as "ESF." Just thought that was interesting.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Caledon, Ontario
    Posts
    1,930

    Default

    The sugar content in my Norway has been running around 2% so far this year. No complaints here!
    ~ Karen ~

    2012 - 10 taps, 1 turkey fryer - 169.5L sap 4.2 L syrup
    2013 - 23 taps, 2 turkey fryers - 748.5 L sap 17.56 L syrup

    2014 - 22 taps, 509 L sap 12.5 L syrup
    2015 - 28 taps, 1093.75 L sap 25.1 L syrup
    2016 - 25 taps, 1223.5 L sap 28.25 L syrup
    2017 - 21 taps, 518.5 L sap 12.7 L syrup
    2018 - 28 taps, 2 turkey fryers & Denali 3 burner propane stove - 798L sap 16.9 L syrup
    2019 - 28 taps, 1409.5L sap 40.12L syrup

    Sugar, Norway, Manitoba, Silver and Freeman Maples



  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Bradford, VT
    Posts
    20

    Default

    Norway maples are invasive. Firewood!!!!! Keep an eye out and you will notice Norway maple in the understory everywhere there is a parent tree. You think they are Sugar maples when they are little, but watch out! Definetly seeing them invade our more urban environments and push Sugars and Reds out of green spaces... I say buck em if you got em

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Skowhegan, Maine
    Posts
    1,299

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by chep View Post
    Norway maples are invasive. Firewood!!!!! Keep an eye out and you will notice Norway maple in the understory everywhere there is a parent tree. You think they are Sugar maples when they are little, but watch out! Definetly seeing them invade our more urban environments and push Sugars and Reds out of green spaces... I say buck em if you got em
    I agree they are invasive, but they are tough in an urban environment. They will make it in places that will kill a sugar maple dead. They planted a couple of sugars next to a Norway on my street and the sugars have long since given up the ghost, but the Norway is really healthy. Unfortunately Sugar Maple is no good as a street tree any more. If you want a great street tree, plan Acer Freemanii x. They are a hybrid of Red and Silver and are great street trees. They have leaves like a sugar and will take a lot more salt and abuse than them. Since they are a hybrid they won't take over either.

    I looked out over Gardiner, Maine in the spring and it's clear that the Norway is everywhere. They put out a greenish round flower and it's easy to spot them then. I am afraid they are the dominant species in the urban and suburban areas now. One good thing is you can dispense with the usual tapping guidelines unless it's a Norway that is ailing. Tap the heck out of them.
    Last edited by Revi; 03-13-2013 at 09:22 PM.
    325 taps
    2x6 Phaneuf
    Illegitimati non carborundum

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISbkO-NKA9o

+ Reply to Thread
Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts