Anthony Curcio wrote, ".........................tapping Box Elders. We
finished ours last week and it boiled down ( no pun ) to 60 to 1.
Last year the syrup was light gold like honey. This year it was as dark as
Maple syrup."
This year yielded the highest ratio of sugar to sap in Box Elder that I
have ever seen; in excess of 3%. I test mine with a sap hydrometer every
year for my own information. Yield ran between 30 to 1 and 35 to 1. I tap
trees in other people's (and mine) back yards and most of these folks
fertilize their lawn and the trees get fertilized in the process.
Fertilized trees generally produce a sweeter sap than non-fertilized trees.
As for Anthony's light and dark syrups, the longer we boil our sap to
make syrup, the darker it gets.
Jim Fruth
Brambleberry Farm
Pequot Lakes, MN 56472
For jams, jellies, syrups and more:
www.jellygal.com
1-877-265-6856 (Toll Free)
1-218-831-7018 (My Cell)