Tapped today

[Homespun]

My smaller trees had damp wood chips from drilling, the larger trees had bone dry chips.

[Urban Sugarmaker]

Good luck. I'm putting the rest of mine in today, but I don't expect anything until Monday at the earliest. Tuesday and Wednesday next week should be good.

[LImaple]

I'm a total noob, but have been dreaming for years of tapping the one sugar maple in my backyard. We did it about half an hour ago, and it started dripping before we even put the tap in! I just looked in the jug (I'm using milk/water jugs) and it looks like we have already collected about a cup of sap. Very exciting! I wish I had more maples, but the rest of my property is oaks, oaks, and more oaks.

[dblact38]

welcome to the addiction! Have fun

[LImaple]

Thanks! I went over to my Dad's (20 minutes away) and tapped one of his maples. My mom is paranoid that it's going to damage the tree so she only "let" me (a 44-year-old woman) tap the silver maple, not the sugar maple. Annoying, but better than nothing and hopefully next year she will come around.

[adk1]

So you are going to haul sap from a single tree that is 20 minutes away?

[dblact38]

LIMaple if your tree is big enough in diameter 18" or more, maybe you can put two taps in.

[LImaple]

LIMaple if your tree is big enough in diameter 18" or more, maybe you can put two taps in.

I haven't measured it, but it's not all that big so I'm probably safe with one tap.

So you are going to haul sap from a single tree that is 20 minutes away?

I am sure that sounds completely insane to a normal person, or someone who actually produces a lot of syrup. But it's the only other maple I have access to. I live on 1/3 suburban acre that is heavily treed, but it's all oaks and one sugar maple. My Dad is retired and one of us is usually out by the other's house a few times a week anyway, so I'm not making special trips all the time. This is all for my own and my children's enjoyment. We went to a farm that did a sugaring demo a few years ago, and we've all been obsessed with the idea ever since. Spending time in Vermont a few weeks ago sealed the deal. If I get a few pints out of the whole experience, it will be totally worth it.

[Clarkfield Farms]

Drive all day for a single drop of sap if that's what you want to do, it's not about the money, or the cost efficiency, the price of gas, or any other "business" criteria - if it were, does anyone honestly believe that MOST of the people on here would even THINK about making syrup? Good for you, LImaple, in the end it's all about YOUR reasons. Kudos for involving the kids! THAT is the priceless part. And they get to know that the syrup, regardless the amount, that's on their waffles or pancakes or whatever, came from Mom's and Grampa's trees! You KNOW they're going to be excited to be shown which tree(s) the syrup came from. Lifelong memories... Good for you.

[adk1]

I haven't measured it, but it's not all that big so I'm probably safe with one tap.



I am sure that sounds completely insane to a normal person, or someone who actually produces a lot of syrup. But it's the only other maple I have access to. I live on 1/3 suburban acre that is heavily treed, but it's all oaks and one sugar maple. My Dad is retired and one of us is usually out by the other's house a few times a week anyway, so I'm not making special trips all the time. This is all for my own and my children's enjoyment. We went to a farm that did a sugaring demo a few years ago, and we've all been obsessed with the idea ever since. Spending time in Vermont a few weeks ago sealed the deal. If I get a few pints out of the whole experience, it will be totally worth it.

Sounds good, so you caught the bug too! Well, you might as well start knocking on your neighbors doors asking if you could look around their yards to see if they have any maple trees now! haha