tapping boxelder trees

guywhofishes

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I think I'm going to try it - anybody done it?

Oh - and feel free to post "I'd tap that" type responses.
 


MathewsZman

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Looks like quite a few beat you to it :

tree_piercing_mccarrenalex.jpg
 
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Allen

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Have not done it, even though I have several large boxelders. I forget exactly, but they have a MUCH lower sugar content than most of their Maple brethren. So you will end up cooking it down quite a bit more to get what you seek.
 

rodcontrol

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I will say its probably not worth your time. Had a friend do it to make syrup, what I am assuming you are doing. The amount of sap needed from Boxelders is about 5 times more than from true Syrup maples. So about 5 times more boiling and other work.

He is a hard worker but he thought it was just too much work for little reward.

Sorry I don't like to discourage outdoor activities but this is what I know.
 

guywhofishes

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more of a bucket list activity for me. If I ended up with a cup of syrup I'd consider it a smashing success

growing up in ND, tapping trees is one of those things you read or watch on TV and never think you could get in on it - even just for kicks

I've got a few giant maples too - not sure what kind - maybe silver?

even just drinking the sap straight up would be interesting

will rather... I just ordered some spiles/tubing - ha ha - freaking Amazon
 


espringers

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i had about about 40 of them sprout to about 3-4 feet in an old garden turned "nursery" in the yard. i transferred them to other places in the yard about 3 years ago. should be a plague of boxelder bugs once they are full grown. pondered tapping them at that time as well. i think if you don't have to travel far to collect the syrup, it might be worth it. but, if a person has to travel some distance and carry 5 gallon buckets of syrup any long distance by hand, i would avoid it. you need a lot of boxelder sap to make syrup.
 

gst

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We have done this a few times over the years. As said it takes a LOT of gallons to make a pint of syrup. But it is good in the end. We had a stainless trough made and used 3 turkey fryers to heat under the trough to boil it down.

We just used 1/2 in copper tubing to tap the tree.

Expensive syrup.

Would like to do it again and implement juneberries into it.
 

tikkalover

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Doesn't the crew at Fort Stevenson do this in the winter?:;:huh Maybe contact them or go look at their setup. ;:;boozer
 

PrairieGhost

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I have not done that since about 1980. It will take about 30 gallons to get one gallon syrup from a good tree. Watch the squirrels. Trees will vary a lot and you will see squirrels eating icecycles or licking sap from the good trees. I used pic for my taps.
 

3Roosters

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Even though it is blue plate country website, search making syrup/tapping trees in the mn dnr website. We know a couple we know over in blue plate country are avid maple syrup makers.. they have quite the operation. I think they tap like 100-150 trees for their home made operation. We had to enjoy some cold brewskys a few times while we supervised their operations. Pic is of our sugar maple on our piece of heaven. We let them tap some of our trees in exchange for some syrup. Nothing better than Maples in the spring for syrup and Maples in the fall for the color! Lots of sugar maples and other maples...sad time each fall closing up camper and taking out dock that is for sure with this scenery!
Lakelotfallof2016.jpg
 


guywhofishes

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in usual guywholovesnewstuff fashion I bought stuff at Mills Fleet and will install tonight

I’ll return the Amazon stuff
 

lunkerslayer

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Even though it is blue plate country website, search making syrup/tapping trees in the mn dnr website. We know a couple we know over in blue plate country are avid maple syrup makers.. they have quite the operation. I think they tap like 100-150 trees for their home made operation. We had to enjoy some cold brewskys a few times while we supervised their operations. Pic is of our sugar maple on our piece of heaven. We let them tap some of our trees in exchange for some syrup. Nothing better than Maples in the spring for syrup and Maples in the fall for the color! Lots of sugar maples and other maples...sad time each fall closing up camper and taking out dock that is for sure with this scenery!
47483288_2139858742742699_1903302310407176192_n.jpg
can I ask where this maple farm is in Minnesota
 

PrairieGhost

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Guywhofishes I was in a little hurry when I posted. I forgot to mention that I didn't like getting bark and things in the sap so I simply put electrical tape on the pvc so it formed a lump on the end and attached a plastic bag that would hold about three gallons. Some trees give me a half gallon over night and then there was one that filled the bag run over so I added a huge bag and got eleven gallons in 24 hours. Sap will flow on the warm south side of the tree first. At first it will run out of the tree, but slows down to a steady drip or trickle after one or two minutes.
 

PrairieGhost

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Are you running lines from tree to tree to a central collection point?

No, only a piece of pvc driven into a drilled hole with a plastic bag attached. The pvc has a small opening where it contacts the tree because I make a small V cut that more than triples the sap I collect.
 
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Captain Ahab

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At least when you do these things I can live vicariously through you. Keep us updated on this. I wonder how many gallons you are going to have to boil? I was reading that it took around 60-80 gallons of boxelder sap to make a gallon of syrup. I suppose 10 gallons should get you a pint or better of syrup. That will be quite the boiling time. I have more respect for Mrs. Butterworth and Aunt Jemima already.
 

guywhofishes

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It turns out I have three big maples in my yard... ha ha. Der. I tapped three maples and two “Manitoba Maples”, i.e. box elders.

Two of the maples (sugar or hybrid?) and two box elders are flowing.

I read that boiling that much sap inside is expensive, humid, and can make walls sticky. So I built an evaporator for about $120. Ha ha.

guywhogoesoverboardonstufflikethis

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the two chafing pans were the expensive part

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burning the paint off yesterday

I’ll do first boil of just a few gallons today.
 


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