Tapping Maple Trees for Syrup on the Farm

Join us today as we tap our Sugar Maple trees to make Maple syrup on the farm!
LINKS:
Evaporator PAN: www.maplesyruppans.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=59&product_id=61
3/16” TAPS: www.rothsugarbush.com/product/3-16-maxflow-5-16-3-16-spout-w-barbs/
3/16” TUBING: www.rothsugarbush.com/product/3-16-cdl-semi-rigid-tubing-500-rolls-2/
Food grade BUCKETS: www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/tractor-supply-co-5-gallon-red-pail
19/64” drill BIT: Irwin Tools 3016019 Single Cobalt Alloy Steel High-Speed Steel Drill Bit, 19/64" x 4-3/8 a.co/d/jfojrlv

[@itinertantparishioner8092]

Hi Jason, We really enjoyed you content last night. Your Good Word for the day was comforting, encouraging and inspiring. It is like a breath of fresh air to see a family working together! Blessings, Ralph

[@birchfieldfarming]

Thank you for your encouragement, Ralph! Looking forward to our chats and your upcoming visit!🤠

[@dnawormcastings]

Great video about tapping trees for maple 🇳🇿🙏🏼

[@birchfieldfarming]

Thanks!🤠

[@woodsie5474]

I drill a much smaller hole. 3/16" and push a 3/16" brass tube in the hole, rather close to the ground so as not to ruin the trunk for later cutting to use it for lumber for furniture. I use gallon milk jugs with a hole drilled in the cap. The milk jug sits right on the ground. When finished, I put an epoxy coated 3/16" maple dowel rod in the hole while the epoxy is still liquid, cutting it flush with the surface with a razor knife.

[@birchfieldfarming]

Sounds like it works for you. I like your thought towards the preservation of the hardwood trunk for lumber - wise timber management.

[@ShepherdsCreek]

What's wild is that I'm Canadian and I've never done this haha I don't even have any trees I COULD do this with! Thanks for sharing this :)

[@birchfieldfarming]

I bet you all have a great syrup season up that far north! Do you know anyone else who taps trees near you?

[@ShepherdsCreek]

@birchfieldfarming unfortunately no, I don't. Maple trees don't do very well where I live so they're super rare to find. I tried growing some last summer but they died because of the drought. I may try again at some point but it seems like one of those ventures that would be working against nature in my area. I can definitely get lots from the grocery store though

[@benburns5995]

Hi Jason, always was interested in the process to get Maple Syrup so glad to see this video. Seems like the biggest learning curve as far as getting the Maple sap is getting the holes right in the trees and also the buckets. Good to see your 3 kids so involved with the Maple Syrup production. It was mouth watering seeing all of those jars of Maple Syrup. I have 2 questions. How long does it normally take the fill one of those 5 gallon buckets with Maple Sap? Seems like you would have to monitor them several times as they probably all get filled at different times. Also, how do you get the finished Maple Syrup into the jars efficiently? Seems like with the small necked bottle it could be challenging. Enjoyed seeing the Sheep grazing in the field, very relaxing. Really enjoy your channel so keep up the great work. Listening from Northwest Indiana. I live just South of Valparaiso in farm country.

[@birchfieldfarming]

Ben, great questions! So when a bucket fills all the way to the top, my kids call it a “jackpot!” I think that’s one of the things that makes the season fun. It’s not rare, but also not often that we see a jackpot in 24 hours. Sap flow really depends on many factors - how big a tree, so consequently how many taps (more taps = more sap flow), moisture in the ground, outdoor temp, etc. I’d say it’s pretty common here to expect a couple gallons of sap a day from one tree. It takes 40 gallons of that sap to then boil down to one gallon of finished syrup. As far as bottling - once our finish boil is complete and sugar concentration is exact, we simply have a spout and valve near the bottom of pot. Open and close as needed to fill our bottles hot. It’s a long process with all the boiling and filtering, but not much else happening around the farm this time of year. Thanks for the questions, Ben!🤠

[@lorrainecostanzo9092]

It' costs over $10 for a small bottle of it here in Australia

[@birchfieldfarming]

Yeah, it’s expensive. We sell 8oz bottles for $12. Very labor intensive, but nothing like it this time of the year.

[@guyhickson7332]

Thanks for showing how to tap the trees! I would like to give it a try and we have a few maples out here but I’m not sure if they are sugar maples?

[@birchfieldfarming]

Hey Guy, you can tap any kind of Maple, it’s just the Sugar Maple has the highest concentration of sugar, making it the tree of choice. I’ve seen folks have good success with other species of Maple such as Silver Maples though! There’s even a Birch tree season, and I believe Black Walnut can be tapped as well.

[@itinertantparishioner8092]

I’ve heard it said that you can tap any kind of tree except pine

[@birchfieldfarming]

@@itinertantparishioner8092I’ve never tried anything other than Maple, but this very well may be true. We have mistakenly tapped other species in our woods (White Ash) and nothing flows. I’ve also heard the sap yield on Black Walnut is pretty low compared to the Maples.