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]
[NAFEX] Maple question answered,
Jim Fruth, 02/21/2008