North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Jim Fruth" <jfruth@tds.net>]

David Consolvo asked, "Hi, what other species do you tap besides sugar 
maple?"

David,
   I tap Sugar Maple, Red Maple, Sugar Maple and Box Elder, aka Manitoba 
Maple (Acer Negundo).  The Box Elder lends a sort of a buttery quality to 
the (mixed) syrup.  My syrup wins all the taste contents.
   Mr. O, a person from near me, for years bragged to his Vermont relatives 
that my syrup was better than theirs.  When they tired of his comments, they 
brought a sample of Vermont's prize winning syrup, a sample from New York, 
another from Pennsylvania and one from Michigan.  Once here, they selected 
an impartial jury and went for the taste test.  Mine won and Mr. O no longer 
needs to brag.
   I only have a dozen of my own trees and the other 688 are in other 
people's back yards.  I tap alot of trees here in the city and two of my 
"back yards" are in a forest where I collect sap with plastic tubing.  If I 
do the work with my equipment, the land owner gets 25%.  If they do the work 
and bring the sap to me, they get 50% of the finished syrup.
   I have tapped Paper Birch and the finish syrup resembles sorghum 
molasses.  Sweet Birch syrup, from the New England area, is exceedingly more 
palatable.
   I have also made syrup from Butter Nut but the sap tastes better than 
the syrup.  I have heard of folks tapping Hickory but I know nothing about 
it.

Jim Fruth
Brambleberry Farm
Pequot Lakes, MN  56472
For jams, jellies & syrups:
www.bberryfarm.com
(877)265-6856 [Store]
(218)831-7018 [My Cell]