The Forestry Forum

General Forestry => Forestry and Logging => Topic started by: Splinter on January 30, 2009, 09:25:44 AM

Title: Going to the dark side
Post by: Splinter on January 30, 2009, 09:25:44 AM
Sorry guys going over to the dark side smiley_devil
Poking holes in my maples to make syrup.
At least now I have a use for my cull wood.

Dean
Title: Re: Going to the dark side
Post by: timberfaller390 on January 30, 2009, 09:33:09 AM
We'll forgive you as long as you send everybody a quart of syrup.  ;D
Title: Re: Going to the dark side
Post by: Sawyerfortyish on January 30, 2009, 12:46:37 PM
Well about a week ago I had to start my gas powered hole poker just to hear it run. I'll be hooking the IV up to my maples in about 2 weeks. I love to watch em bleed. ;D
Title: Re: Going to the dark side
Post by: Splinter on January 30, 2009, 08:07:42 PM
Quote from: Sawyerfortyish on January 30, 2009, 12:46:37 PM
Well about a week ago I had to start my gas powered hole poker just to hear it run. I'll be hooking the IV up to my maples in about 2 weeks. I love to watch em bleed. ;D

Look at your weather. If it was me I'd drill 'em tonight.
Title: Re: Going to the dark side
Post by: pasbuild on January 30, 2009, 08:33:34 PM
Aren't ya pushin it a little  ???  like by two months
Title: Re: Going to the dark side
Post by: Left Coast Chris on January 30, 2009, 10:32:48 PM
I finished pruning my fruit trees last week.  After I was done I removed a lower branch on our 4 year old Silver Maple yard tree.  Never saw such bleeding from a tree.   Is the sap from a Silver Maple any good?
Title: Re: Going to the dark side
Post by: tyb525 on January 30, 2009, 10:53:48 PM
It's sugar maple and black maple. I don't think silver is any good, except they also "bleed".
Title: Re: Going to the dark side
Post by: Don K on January 30, 2009, 11:23:35 PM
I have a silver maple and last week a little woodpecker was tapping it . I checked it out and he had a bunch of holes all the way around the trunk and it was pouring sap. Sapsucker is a well earned name. :)

Don
Title: Re: Going to the dark side
Post by: Sawyerfortyish on January 31, 2009, 01:48:26 AM
They do tap silver maples it takes more sap to make a gallon. Also reds to but the syrup from them alone i'm told has a bit of a bitter taste. Depending on the weather out look I tap every year after Valentines day. They have already tapped in Virgina-West virgina-Maryland and southern PA. The weather is still to cold here but in a couple weeks or so it can make a big differance. If I wait 2 months the frost and snow will be long gone (I hope) and grass will start to green up here.
Title: Re: Going to the dark side
Post by: Gary_C on January 31, 2009, 09:10:59 AM
I have tapped Boxelder before too, and it was just a little darker syrup but very good. Probably does take a little more sap.
Title: Re: Going to the dark side
Post by: Splinter on February 01, 2009, 02:03:03 AM
Quote from: Left Coast Chris on January 30, 2009, 10:32:48 PM
I finished pruning my fruit trees last week.  After I was done I removed a lower branch on our 4 year old Silver Maple yard tree.  Never saw such bleeding from a tree.   Is the sap from a Silver Maple any good?

silver can make decent syrup.
its known for very high sugar content (less boiling).
Title: Re: Going to the dark side
Post by: twobears on February 01, 2009, 08:16:24 PM

shoot splinter..i won,t disown ya..matter of fact a little piece of me dies everytime a good maple tree is cut down..what a waste!!
i growup involved in sugarin and i,de tap every maple in my area if i could.we used to tap 3100 now we have 1300.the 3100 was on my uncles land and between a ice storm and a windstorm we lost most of them.my dad bought 180 acres and last year we tapped it for the first time.we made alittle over 300 gallons of that awesome syrup..  ;D

delbert
Title: Re: Going to the dark side
Post by: The-Burl-Hunter on February 05, 2009, 05:58:28 PM
has anyone heard of birch syrup... because in a fruit tree catalog that I just received i saw that they offered birch syrup, not sure how good it might be but just thought I would ask you guys if you have ever heard of it?,
I am also interested in tapping some maple trees for syrup, anyone reccommend any good books for starters on reading up on the subject thank-you very much... I just love this forum 8)  8) very awsome thanks