Producing Homemade Maple Syrup in America

[burroughs85]

Which states in Lower 48 America would domestic sugar maples on private property NOT do well for even the home maple syrup producer? Could a couple sugar maples be feasibly cultivated in warmer southern states for casual maple syrup production for the DIY hobbyist? Is there an even better maple species for warmer climates or for States where the sugar maple is not native for the home sap tapper with spiles?

 

[Son of Butch]

Missouri is the southern most state that I've heard produces some maple sryrup, but even that is quite limited. I doubt states to the west and south of Missouri like Kansas and Oklahoma would even bother with it due to very short production seasons for sap. But, yes it could be done for a hobby.

 

[Lee VanRoss]

What is the diameter of the trees on avg. Is there a lot of red leaves in the fall? '(Red indicates sugar)
I think you are in a 4 equal season area so there would not be adequate flow.
You would be lucky to get a shotglass of syrup from 5 gallon of sap, (maybe a cup of sweet thin syrup)
The fuel to evaporate the water would be prohibitive. I am at least 500 miles north (different longitude)
Tried it. Once ... God Bless Vermont! Good Luck if you try it.

 

[Son of Butch]

A friend gave me a pint of homemade maple syrup for Christmas. I felt guilty accepting it, because I've seen how much work they go through to produce a gallon. Even in a good producing state like Minnesota, it doesn't seem worth the trouble to me. p.s. I prefer honey. lol

 

[burroughs85]

What is the diameter of the trees on avg. Is there a lot of red leaves in the fall? '(Red indicates sugar)
I think you are in a 4 equal season area so there would not be adequate flow.
You would be lucky to get a shotglass of syrup from 5 gallon of sap, (maybe a cup of sweet thin syrup)
The fuel to evaporate the water would be prohibitive. I am at least 500 miles north (different longitude)
Tried it. Once ... God Bless Vermont! Good Luck if you try it.

There must be a reason MacDonald's 100 % Pure Maple Syrup is 78.4 ¢/fl oz at an Oklahoma Walmart and right now it is out of stock there. This is commercially-produced maple syrup and it still costs an arm and a leg. I will only buy it for special occasions like homemade fluffy brown French toast with butter. Honey on pancakes, waffles and French toast for me? No.

It's probably just more feasible to buy maple syrup in stores still for most people. Mr. GunBlue 490 lives in New Hampshire and i got this idea in my head about maple syrup done at home. He lives in New Hampshire though. Has maples on his rural property. I fantasize a home in New Hampshire with my own sugar maples.

 

[Silver]

We don't have maple here, but some guys tap birch. I haven't tried it but the general consensus is that it makes a syrup that is just as good as maple.

 

[sstterry]

Which states in Lower 48 America would domestic sugar maples on private property NOT do well for even the home maple syrup producer? Could a couple sugar maples be feasibly cultivated in warmer southern states for casual maple syrup production for the DIY hobbyist? Is there an even better maple species for warmer climates or for States where the sugar maple is not native for the home sap tapper with spiles?

I do know that my father once intended to tap a couple of Maple trees about 20 years ago here in East Tenn. I don't know if he ever did it or it just didn't turn out. @kenny thomas might have some input on this.

 

[BFE]

We're at the southern end of maple syrup country. Try making hickory syrup. Scrub some hickory bark clean and boil it for 20 minutes. Remove bark and add lots of sugar. Boil and stir until it thickens. Google for the particulars.

The longer you boil the bark, the stronger the flavor. You want the syrup to be a golden brown as opposed to dark brown. Too dark and it's a little too bitter.

 

[BFE]

And it's pronounced hickree surrup. No O in hickory and sur not seerup. Almost sounds like surp.

 

[Mrcopier]

We did it as a kid in the state of New York, it takes a lot of sap to make a cup of syrup. Like 3 gallons if I remember correctly, not to mention the time it takes to boil it down

 

[kenny thomas]

I do know that my father once intended to tap a couple of Maple trees about 20 years ago here in East Tenn. I don't know if he ever did it or it just didn't turn out. @kenny thomas might have some input on this.

Yes I know of a couple people that do it for their own use. We don't have a lot of sugar maple here although other trees will work just not as well nor is the syrup as good. It takes a lot of trees to make just a few gallon. The conversion is like 40 gallon of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup. And it's only a short season that you can collect the sap.

 

[chaded]

We have a lot of sugar maples on the property so I naturally thought I would make some. Then I researched making it and decided I don't even like maple syrup that much.

 

[Son of Butch]

Mr. GunBlue 490 lives in New Hampshire and i got this idea in my head about maple syrup done at home. He lives in New Hampshire though. Has maples on his rural property. I fantasize a home in New Hampshire with my own sugar maples.

The more remote from the subject, the more romantic the notion.
The less you know about a subject the better it seems.

Mr GunBlue probably fantasizes of a ranch in Oklahoma, riding the range and punching cows in the face.

 

[burroughs85]

I have a 1/10 model train layout with a fictitious location: Mondaho (combination of Idaho and Montana), a fictitious American northern state along the Canadian border My layout is a rural setting with forests and farms. One the fictitious Boone Farm, I have a small orchard of sugar maples. I figure that maples have to be in snow country to be feasibly tapped. This train hobby is what adds to my fascination of maple sap harvest. Having had MacDonald's 100% Pure Maple Syrup a number of times, I think of it as the Holy Grail at breakfast. It is perishable and has to be kept in the fridge after opening. I pour some in a glass measuring cup and warm in microwave when ready to serve at the breakfast table. This pure maple syrup is not like that cheap commercial stuff sold at the supermarket as "pancake and waffle syrup". Mrs. Butterworth's, Aunt Jemima and such. My grandmother could buy that cheap stuff and keep in the kitchen pantry at room temperature. Log Cabin is more expensive but has a small percentage of real maple syrup. My mother would sometimes buy MacDonald's maple syrup.

I doubt if domestic sugar maples would work out in San Diego, California. Maybe up in the Sierras, though, for a rural mountain homeowner in snow and pine country.

 

[Son of Butch]

I have a 1/10 model train layout with a fictitious location: Mondaho (combination of Idaho and Montana), a fictitious American northern state along the Canadian border My layout is a rural setting with forests and farms. One the fictitious Boone Farm, I have a small orchard of sugar maples. I figure that maples have to be in snow country to be feasibly tapped. This train hobby is what adds to my fascination of maple sap harvest. Having had MacDonald's 100% Pure Maple Syrup a number of times, I think of it as the Holy Grail at breakfast. It is perishable and has to be kept in the fridge after opening.

Must be a government bureaucrat to run such an inefficient railroad carrying a gross of pint jars of maple syrup. Ya need to diversify and get yourself a herd of bees producing the much more versatile honey. You could do back hauls for the good folk of Heloise and Boislena (Helena/Boise) instead of dead heading syrup.
Add a couple of dairies and you'd have a fantasy land of milk and honey.

 

[farmerjan]

Here in Va we also have Maple syrup. Highland county is known as Little Switzerland..the elevation allows for some pretty good sugar maple camps. There is a festival there every year on the 2nd and 3rd weekends of March. It is up to about $50-60 a gallon. I get some every year... After having grown up in Conn... and family in Vermont, have always had maple syrup for pancakes and such. It not only has to be kept refrigerated once opened, it also has a little more nutrition due to the sap coming up with the nutrients to feed the newly awakening trees. It is not pasteurized. Actually boiling the sap (it should be heated only to the point of evaporation) will make it bitter.
Yep, it is expensive. Honey is not cheap either and it has healthy properties also. I guess it is what you value in food. It takes alot to make it... yes about 40 gallons of sap to make a gallon of syrup. I do not begrudge the cost to the owners of the sugar bush that spend the time and money to make the syrup.
There are a couple places in Highland county that also make birch and other syrups. Flavors vary, but most are not bad.

 

[farmerjan]

It is also a renewable resource....and the trees also can provide wood for many purposes. The trees can survive for a hundred years plus... May not be the most lucrative money maker... but then, neither are cattle...

 

[Son of Butch]

Belgium waffles are the ideal carrier for hot fudge and ice cream, not maple syrup. You should look into the feasibility of growing cocoa bushes in Mondaho for chocolate production. I hear a by product of the leaves are a real money maker, so you'd have a duel purpose crop and you could use a couple of boxcars for hauling the cash.

 

[burroughs85]

Must be a government bureaucrat to run such an inefficient railroad carrying a gross of pint jars of maple syrup. Ya need to diversify and get yourself a herd of bees producing the much more versatile honey. You could do back hauls for the good folk of Heloise and Boislena (Helena/Boise) instead of dead heading syrup.
Add a couple of dairies and you'd have a fantasy land of milk and honey.

Not really. The imaginary farmers, Boone family farm, on my layout with a few sugar maples produce syrup for a small local market, for friends and for personal use. A small truck delivers the product locally. The train does pick up larger qualities of produce in refrigerated fruit cars. Yes, they do have a beehive on their land to pollenate the fruit orchard. No honey for commercial sales, though. The imaginary Campbell ranch loads cows onto cattle cars from a trackside feedlot. The imaginary Hood Dairy has 1,500 of Holstein milk cows. Green rolling hills. Trucks come in to carry off the milk from holding tanks. I have one beef ranch, a dairy and a family farm on my layout.

 

[Lee VanRoss]

It is also a renewable resource....and the trees also can provide wood for many purposes. The trees can survive for a hundred years plus... May not be the most lucrative money maker... but then, neither are cattle...

Beckton Red Angus is having a sale today. I'm guessing they will do OK......