So that's tricky...it really depends on how much other stuff we've put up drink wise. Strawberry juice, tart cherry juice, blackberry juice, and a new favorite in cherry limeade cuts down on the lemonade wants. And the fact that we only have 100 frost free days here...so "summer" is maybe 80 days long. I put up about a dozen jars of ready made lemonade (not concentrate) so I can pop in from the garden to grab one, and then about a 12-18 pints jars of lemonade concentrate for making a pitcher.
Many topics you have covered are new to me, but I am enjoying everyone. I somehow got a hold of large quantities of citrus this year (I am a Master Food Preserver here in California) and used your receipes to preserve jam, jellies, lemons in salt, etc. I appreciate all the hard work you do to pass along to us, and am enjoying learning.
This is fascinating and interesting info! Love it! I live in Australia and we want to plant Birch trees. How old would they need to be before producing sap? And would it be the same amounts retrieved and boiled down, as the Maple?
So I think it's less about having the trees there, and more about climate. You need several weeks of below freezing nights with above freezing days to make the sap run for maple. For birch, it's after the thaw when soil temperatures hit about 50 degrees (but they need a long cold period of frozen soil before that). Does it freeze there in the winter?
In any case, the trees need to be about 10 inches in diameter before tapping. How long that takes really depends on your climate, so I'm not sure about that...I'd guess probably 20 years or more?
It depends on the weather in any given year. Here, it can be as early as January, or as late as April. But usually, it's about 6 weeks (on and off) starting Mid to late February. That's here at least.
What you need to do is take a look at the weather, and watch for when the daytime temperatures are above freezing, but the nighttime temps are below. That's when the sap starts to flow. If it drops below freezing day and night, the flow will stop, but then resume when the day night cycle is right again. Similarly, if it stays above freezing at night for a few days, it'll pause its flow, then resume when the temps are right.
The exact timing is different based on your microclimate, and even in my state the north taps at a different time than the south each year.
I watch over property in northern Wisconsin that has lots of sugar maples. It’s 10° this morning. What temperature is the sap going to start moving? I was given permission to tap some maples if I wish to. I see people doing it in my area from time to time, it’s absolutely something I want to try.
A couple people wrote in with a similar question here, so I'll give you the same answer:
It depends on the weather in any given year. Here, it can be as early as January, or as late as April. But usually, it's about 6 weeks (on and off) starting Mid to late February. That's here at least.
What you need to do is take a look at the weather, and watch for when the daytime temperatures are above freezing, but the nighttime temps are below. That's when the sap starts to flow. If it drops below freezing day and night, the flow will stop, but then resume when the day night cycle is right again. Similarly, if it stays above freezing at night for a few days, it'll pause its flow, then resume when the temps are right.
The exact timing is different based on your microclimate, and even in my state the north taps at a different time than the south each year
Ohhhh. . . . maple syrup! I grew up in Michigan with maple tree forests/woods surrounding my neighborhood and maple syrup was plentiful. Now I live in Texas and maple syrup is SO expensive we've stopped buying it. We used to use it in baking as we don't use refined sugar, and loved the viscosity and flavor maple syrup brought to all of our baked goods. Thanks so much for this post! It's encouraging that maybe we can make our own syrup of sorts some day.
Yeah, my parents say the same thing out in California. It's just so expensive they can't afford it (but they always bring home jugs with them from here when they visit). Too bad shipping is so expensive, it makes it not really an option outside places where it's produced.
We're tapping trees for the first time this year. We only have a handful of maple trees. We also have 3 black walnut trees and next year I'd like to tap those. I once tried that and it tasted like butterscotch. I really like your evaporator. We're just boiling the sap in a large water bath canner - it's what i have this year. My husband is planning on making something better for us to use next year.
We love to make our own maple syrup and have been putting in about 8-12 taps a year. It's the first thing on our homestead that make it feel like spring is coming!
Just curious how many pints of lemonade is a "summer's worth" at your house?
So that's tricky...it really depends on how much other stuff we've put up drink wise. Strawberry juice, tart cherry juice, blackberry juice, and a new favorite in cherry limeade cuts down on the lemonade wants. And the fact that we only have 100 frost free days here...so "summer" is maybe 80 days long. I put up about a dozen jars of ready made lemonade (not concentrate) so I can pop in from the garden to grab one, and then about a 12-18 pints jars of lemonade concentrate for making a pitcher.
Thank you, that was so helpful. Z6 175 ish days between frosts here and it always seems like August goes on forever.
Please share the cherry limeade recipe at some point.
Of course! Here's the cherry limeade recipe: https://creativecanning.com/cherry-limeade-concentrate/
Many topics you have covered are new to me, but I am enjoying everyone. I somehow got a hold of large quantities of citrus this year (I am a Master Food Preserver here in California) and used your receipes to preserve jam, jellies, lemons in salt, etc. I appreciate all the hard work you do to pass along to us, and am enjoying learning.
Wonderful, so glad it's helpful!
This is fascinating and interesting info! Love it! I live in Australia and we want to plant Birch trees. How old would they need to be before producing sap? And would it be the same amounts retrieved and boiled down, as the Maple?
So I think it's less about having the trees there, and more about climate. You need several weeks of below freezing nights with above freezing days to make the sap run for maple. For birch, it's after the thaw when soil temperatures hit about 50 degrees (but they need a long cold period of frozen soil before that). Does it freeze there in the winter?
In any case, the trees need to be about 10 inches in diameter before tapping. How long that takes really depends on your climate, so I'm not sure about that...I'd guess probably 20 years or more?
I live in Northern Wisconsin. Never tried getting my own maple syrup. When is the best time to start.
It depends on the weather in any given year. Here, it can be as early as January, or as late as April. But usually, it's about 6 weeks (on and off) starting Mid to late February. That's here at least.
What you need to do is take a look at the weather, and watch for when the daytime temperatures are above freezing, but the nighttime temps are below. That's when the sap starts to flow. If it drops below freezing day and night, the flow will stop, but then resume when the day night cycle is right again. Similarly, if it stays above freezing at night for a few days, it'll pause its flow, then resume when the temps are right.
The exact timing is different based on your microclimate, and even in my state the north taps at a different time than the south each year.
I watch over property in northern Wisconsin that has lots of sugar maples. It’s 10° this morning. What temperature is the sap going to start moving? I was given permission to tap some maples if I wish to. I see people doing it in my area from time to time, it’s absolutely something I want to try.
Thanks for all the information you share .
A couple people wrote in with a similar question here, so I'll give you the same answer:
It depends on the weather in any given year. Here, it can be as early as January, or as late as April. But usually, it's about 6 weeks (on and off) starting Mid to late February. That's here at least.
What you need to do is take a look at the weather, and watch for when the daytime temperatures are above freezing, but the nighttime temps are below. That's when the sap starts to flow. If it drops below freezing day and night, the flow will stop, but then resume when the day night cycle is right again. Similarly, if it stays above freezing at night for a few days, it'll pause its flow, then resume when the temps are right.
The exact timing is different based on your microclimate, and even in my state the north taps at a different time than the south each year
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Ohhhh. . . . maple syrup! I grew up in Michigan with maple tree forests/woods surrounding my neighborhood and maple syrup was plentiful. Now I live in Texas and maple syrup is SO expensive we've stopped buying it. We used to use it in baking as we don't use refined sugar, and loved the viscosity and flavor maple syrup brought to all of our baked goods. Thanks so much for this post! It's encouraging that maybe we can make our own syrup of sorts some day.
Yeah, my parents say the same thing out in California. It's just so expensive they can't afford it (but they always bring home jugs with them from here when they visit). Too bad shipping is so expensive, it makes it not really an option outside places where it's produced.
We're tapping trees for the first time this year. We only have a handful of maple trees. We also have 3 black walnut trees and next year I'd like to tap those. I once tried that and it tasted like butterscotch. I really like your evaporator. We're just boiling the sap in a large water bath canner - it's what i have this year. My husband is planning on making something better for us to use next year.
super information !
We love to make our own maple syrup and have been putting in about 8-12 taps a year. It's the first thing on our homestead that make it feel like spring is coming!
I live