Depressing weather day here in the Northeast for snow/winter lovers. Let's hope things swing back the other way in March. This is ridiculous. I may have to change my name to "WaterSkier76"
It's above Average Temps here in Upstate NY...but we have had snow as late as Mother's day. I am sure we have another 1 or 2 good snow falls and another 30+ inches before it's all done. Can't wait to get my load of logs that will put me three years ahead...I want the ground to freeze again so he can load up his log truck and get it out to me.
Sugaring has started. I have an acquaintance who has started it up again. He has close to 400 trees he taps. I buy my maple syrup from him. Really good stuff. Not empty calories like cane sugar is. $15 a quart.
This hasn't been an enjoyable winter at all. At least the warm weather the past few days has finally melted the Arctic ice shelf that was in my back yard for the past month and a half. It was downright dangerous out there without snow.
Ah, I always loved maple syrup season. I've thought about setting up an evaporator here but sadly, we don't have hard maple on our land but lots of soft maple. We could tap some birch too but haven't. So, I'll just keep getting syrup from others. Soon I'll be visiting at least one guy who still makes it. An old friend of ours won't make any this year as he passed away this past December. I need to check to see if someone may have rented out the woods and the sugar shack.
All I have is red Maple here. From everything I've read, you can tap those if you have em Dennis! I've been saying I'd do it since I moved in here, just been busy. Maybe next year.
Yes, you can tap soft maple. It takes a bit more boiling and if I remember right it is not quite as sweet but still good syrup.
You can tap black walnut, as well as birch, and even box elder. It just takes more sap than sugar maple sap. Here's an interesting article. You can even tap ironwood for syrup. 22 Trees That Can Be Tapped For Sap And Syrup
exactly, and why I am willing to pay the price they ask for making it. they work very hard for their product. They face a lot of competition. Only thing is there is nothing like the real product.
The only good thing about winter croaking is that last cord of wood lasted me a whole month. Normally February takes two or more. I still have about a third of the cord left. I've been out splitting my massive pile of rounds up, stacking for next winter and working on the season after that. Northeast weather alert keeps promising winter will be back for March , but too little, too late, in my book.
Sweetness is % of sugar in sap. Soft maples produce a cloudier sap so syrup comes out darker. So best you can get is medium or dark amber. Still great stuff and I prefer it for baking and cooking. Flavor is stronger.. Tap em dennis In fact hard maples makes dark syrup at end of season too
Indeed black walnut can be tapped and a friend of ours has a contract with some company out east to supply them with several gallons of it. I don't particularly like it on pancakes or waffles but do love it on vanilla ice cream! I also gave some this past year as Christmas presents.
And it takes more sap to make syrup and that is what I was getting at. And yes, I've made syrup before. I think the first time I got involved in this was around 1954. Do you remember that year?
