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Thread: Tapping trees other than maples

  1. #21
    mklarenbeek Guest

    Default Shagbark Hickory Syrup Experiment #3

    I got the pressure cooker out and learned that it's not recommended that I use it on my glass cook top.

    I processed one batch anyway but will hold off on the others until I can get an electric range with coil burners. I've got one coming in the next couple of months. I'm going to be setting up a summer canning kitchen in basement. I expect I'll really appreciate it come August.

    On to the syrup. I used 1/2 lb of bark in the pressure cooker with 25 cups of water and let the steam escape for 15 minutes before closing the petcock. I let the pressure rise to 240 and kept it there for 30 minutes before removing the cooker from the stove to normalize the pressure. After an hour I opened up the petcock to release any remaining pressure. There wasn't any. I left the cooker closed overnight to cool and steep.

    I removed the bark after 24 hours and then things got crazy around here and I didn't get to it for another day. After dividing the fluid into my customary 3 batches I sweetened them each to 8% as follows;
    Batch A 8% sugar
    Batch B 5% sugar +3% corn syrup
    Batch C 5% sugar +3% honey

    Cooked down to syrup as normal and voila. I have something that requires some consideration before I figure out where to go from here.

    Next step was ordering some Shagbark Hickory Syrup for comparison. Hickoryworks doesn't ship to Canada but they sell there syrup through Leaman's and I was able to get some from them. After tasting I am very close.

  2. #22
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    iowa
    Posts
    56

    Default hickory and birch syrup

    I asked my wife to get me some of the hickory and birch syrups for my birthday. She did and we sampled them. I thought the birch tasted like molasses to me. We got it from kahiltna in Alaska. The hickory kind of had a taste of its own. It was okay. I still like the maple stuff the best. I would still like to try tapping the trees and try boiling it down and see how it comes out. The black walnut sounded interesting.

  3. #23
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Glennie, Michigan
    Posts
    1,266

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by upmep View Post
    I was wondering if anyone on this site had tried tapping and boiling the sap of anything other than maples. I did boxelder and some silver maples on some land we have this year. I don't have any black or sugar maples. It just seems like it would be interesting to see what it would be like to experiment with other trees. I know it can be done with birch. I have river birch, shagbark hickory, sycamore, cottonwood, black walnut on our property and would like to here from anyone on their results from tapping these trees. What does the syrup taste like etc.
    Making Maple Syrup from Sugar Maples is kinda on the same order as making wine from grapes -- Both Sugar Maples and Grapes are used because they have a high sugar content. In our ancestors times - sugar or any sort was pricey and hard to come by and they were practical people. But today, with sugar and other syrups being fairly cheap and available - You could probably make syrups and wines from just about anything and spike it with a sweetner like corn syrup or cane sugar - as long as your flavor source for the syrup or wine will not make you ill or kill you - experiment away. Years ago - I made potato wine and I'm still recovering..........LOL

  4. #24
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Oneida NY
    Posts
    11,547

    Default

    I'd study Black Walnut syrup before trying it. Black walnut are a tree that put out toxens to kill off the competition. (some others do too). They will kill tomatoes real fast (I know the hard way)
    Dave Klish, I recently ordered a 2x6 wood fired evaporator from A&A Sheet Metal which I will be converting to oil fired
    Now have solar, 2x6 finish pan, 5 bank 7x7 filter press, large water jacketed bottler, and tankless water heater.
    Recently bought another Gingerich RO, this one was a 125, but a second membrane was added thus is a 250, like I had.
    After running a 2x3, a 2x6, 3x8 tapping from 79 taps up to 1320 all woodfired, now I'm going to a 2x6 oil fired and a 200-425 taps.

  5. #25
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Brillion, Wisconsin
    Posts
    314

    Default Walnut syrup?

    Is there such a thing as walnut syrup made from just the walnut tree? When I Google it I only come up with recipes for taking maple syrup and adding walnuts, cook it and can it.
    First year 2009
    18 taps on 12 trees
    boiled in 3 gal. pot on electric stove in garage
    2010
    111 taps on 93 trees
    boiling in 200 gal. stainless tank, wood fire
    3 sided sugar shack

  6. #26
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Oneida NY
    Posts
    11,547

    Default

    Yes, the nuts are safe, I am not sure which part is toxic but it somehow puts out toxins to kill any competing vegetation. My guess (and it's only a guess) is that the toxin would be in the sap.
    Dave Klish, I recently ordered a 2x6 wood fired evaporator from A&A Sheet Metal which I will be converting to oil fired
    Now have solar, 2x6 finish pan, 5 bank 7x7 filter press, large water jacketed bottler, and tankless water heater.
    Recently bought another Gingerich RO, this one was a 125, but a second membrane was added thus is a 250, like I had.
    After running a 2x3, a 2x6, 3x8 tapping from 79 taps up to 1320 all woodfired, now I'm going to a 2x6 oil fired and a 200-425 taps.

  7. #27
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Brillion, Wisconsin
    Posts
    314

    Default

    Post from a WVU website on walnut toxicity.
    "Plants adversely affected by being grown near black walnut trees exhibit symptoms such as foliar yellowing, wilting, and eventual death. The causal agent is a chemical called "juglone" (5 hydroxy-1, 4-napthoquinone), which occurs naturally in all parts of the black walnut. Juglone has experimentally been shown to be a respiration inhibitor which deprives sensitive plants of needed energy for metabolic activity.
    The largest concentrations of juglone and hydrojuglone (converted to juglone by sensitive plants) occur in the walnut's buds, nut hulls, and roots. However, leaves and stems do contain a smaller quantity. Juglone is only poorly soluble in water and thus does not move very far in the soil."
    First year 2009
    18 taps on 12 trees
    boiled in 3 gal. pot on electric stove in garage
    2010
    111 taps on 93 trees
    boiling in 200 gal. stainless tank, wood fire
    3 sided sugar shack

  8. #28
    mklarenbeek Guest

    Default

    If you do a google search on "Making Syrup from Black Walnut Sap" you will find a number of websites featuring "part" of an article from 2006 in the "Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science." Most of these websites will allow you to have a free trial period which will give you full access to the rest of the article. That's annoying I know but it is the only way I've found to view the whole thing.

  9. #29
    mklarenbeek Guest

    Default Found Article

    I found where I saved the full article on my computer and can send it to anyone via e-mail who is interested. I don't check the site very often at this time of year so could take me a couple of days.

  10. #30
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Skowhegan, Maine
    Posts
    1,299

    Default

    I have tapped Norway Maples and it seems to be very similar to what you get from sugars and reds. It has a little different schedule and starts earlier and quits earlier, like the reds.

    I think if I didn't have access to a woodlot and I wanted to do some sugaring I would get a half pint and tap Box elder, silvers and Norways along with sugars and reds. They are plentiful and make a nice tasting syrup that you may have to boil a little longer, but there is no shortage of them within easy reach of everyone's house even in town.
    325 taps
    2x6 Phaneuf
    Illegitimati non carborundum

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

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