Tapping Trees on your Homestead HOMESTEADucation

Episode 7: Tapping a Tree for Maple Syrup
What to tap and when?
All maples can be tapped for sap. Sugar maples are the sweetest.Can also tap:Birch, walnut, black and english walnut, linden, box elder, butternut, sycamore, palm and gorose. All trees’ saps have their own flavor. Maple (Sugar, Silver, Black, Red, Norway, Big Leaf)40 parts of sap yields 1 part of finished syrup
Tap when daytime temperatures are above 32F (0C) and nighttime temperatures are below
Birch (European White, Paper, Yellow, Black, Gray, River)
110 parts of sap yields 1 part of finished syrup
Tap when daytime temperatures are 40-50F (4.4-10C)
Box Elder
60 parts of sap yields 1 part of finished syrup
Tap when daytime temperatures are above 32F (0C) and nighttime temperatures are below
Black and English Walnut 
60 parts of sap yields 1 part of finished syrup
Tap when daytime temperatures are above 32F (0C) and nighttime temperatures are below
Butternut
60 parts of sap yields 1 part of finished syrup
Tap when daytime temperatures are above 32F (0C) and nighttime temperatures are below
Sycamore
40 parts of sap yields 1 part of finished syrup
Tap when daytime temperatures are above 32F (0C) and nighttime temperatures are below
Palm
88 parts of sap yields 11 parts finished syrup
http://www.lrrd.org/lrrd11/1/dali111.htm
Can be tapped year round
Gorosoe
40 parts of sap yields 1 part of finished syrup
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/chugging-maple-sap-30413453/
Tap when daytime temperatures are above 32F (0C) and nighttime temperatures are below
https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/24/world/asia/24iht-maple.1.20393336.html
Tree Identification
Regardless of the variety of tree you are tapping, the process is the same.
Be sure to always tap trees that measure 10” (25.4cm) in diameter or more so as not to damage the heartwood. A tree measuring this size can withstand one tap.A tree measuring 20” (50.8cm) can handle two taps.Finally, a tree measuring larger than 25” (63.5cm) in diameter may have three taps.Never install more than three taps per tree. When installing multiple taps, always place them at a minimum of 6 to 8” (15.24 to 20.32cm) apart from one another.Sugar Maple Identification
Bright orange, yellow or reddish leaves in the fallSmoother bark than other maples, dark almost black in colorCan often see these trees dripping with sap from holes or cracks in the winter timeLook for five lobes with deep indentationsEquipment for Tapping
A power drill5/16” (.8cm) drill bitSpilesHammerBucket hooks (if hanging buckets)Hoses (for ground buckets)Buckets with lidsHarvesting storage bucketsA large potThermometerEquipment for Processing
Evaporator (optional)Large pot for boilSmall pot for finishingThermometerCheesecloth or fine strainerBottling jars and sealing lidsHow to Tap and Boil
Tap when temperatures rise above freezing by day, and below freezing by nightLocate the s