Maple sugaring?

[JamieCatheryn]

Anybody tap their maple trees here? Got any tips for a newbie at it? I am going to give it a try with our huge red maple in the yard this year, and look for more maples in the forest nearby to do next year. I'm planning on using three 5/16" hose taps and tubing and a bucket

[Sunshyn74]

We did this one year just before our divorce. Maple Syrup rather than sugar. It was very fun and quite easy, but very time consuming. The sap has to boil down all day long, so we set up a fire pit outside so we could save a bit of money by using a wood fire instead of our propane. Once the sap started turning tan and thick, we moved it in the house where we could watch it. First batch was too thick but tasted great. Second batch was too thin but tasted great. Third and last batch was perfect but was less than a quart. It takes about 10 gallons of sap to make a quart of syrup. We started late in the season so 3 batches was all we had that year. I have a blog entry with pictures but not sure I can find it...I will check and let you know. Anyway, good luck! Edited to add the link to my old blog with a few pictures... http://homesteadblogger.com/lancelot/92939/

[Earthmoma]

Yes, boiling it down takes foreve, but worth it. I suggest using a metal cake like pan it makes the boiling down take less time. Good luck!

[JamieCatheryn]

My first gallon of sap is boiling down right now. I hoped for more this first week but the weather turned colder again. My thermometer says water boils at 207 where I am (2000ft up) so I have to watch for above 214 instead of 219 when it's about ready, weird. I kind of dread dealing with filtering it, I'll need to rig up something with a cloth to do so, but I read there are nitrates if I don't?