What is the difference between maple syrup and sugar maple sap?
Sap from the sugar maple will usually contain more sugar than sap from a red maple tree so sugar maple trees are more coveted from an economic standpoint for producing maple syrup. The more sugar that is naturally occurring in the sap the less boiling you have to do potentially saving a lot of energy, time and money.
What is flavor maple syrup made from?
Maple syrup Flavor Maple Syrup is made from sap collected from maple trees during the sugaring season which starts around mid-February and last until April (depending on region, climate and elevation). The trees need to be at least 30 to 40 years old before they can sustain growth and being tapped simultaneously.
Why do silver maple trees have low sugar content?
The first reason is the low sugar content of the sap. Silver maples have thin, watery sap with relatively low sugar compared with some other maples. For example, silver maple sap usually hits it max sugar content at 2 percent, while sugar maples usually go 2 percent or higher. Always On.
What kind of SAP does a silver maple have?
Silver maples have thin, watery sap with relatively low sugar compared with some other maples. For example, silver maple sap usually hits it max sugar content at 2 percent, while sugar maples usually go 2 percent or higher. No mortgages found.
Does silver maple make good syrup?
The silver maple is not the best species for making syrup, though. These trees have thin, watery sap with relatively low sugar compared to some other maple species. Moreover, silver maples tend to get their leaves earlier than other maples, and once leaf buds start appearing, the sap's flavor becomes unpleasant.
What is the difference between sugar maple and silver maple?
Silver and sugar maple are easy to tell apart by leaf, buds, and growth habit. There only slight overlap in habitat: silver maple usually grows closer to water and sugar maple on well-drained sites.
Why are silver maples not recommended?
Silver maple does not have the ability to resist and compartmentalize decay as well as some other species and a damaged tree is open to more serious breakage from weakened branches and stems. In addition, silver maple has a habit of forming a root system that is more surface oriented than most other trees.
What is silver maple good for?
Humans: Humans use this soft wood to stabilize river banks. They also use the wood to build furniture, cabinets, veneer, pulp, boxes, and crates. It can be used in flooring, making paper, and can be used for firewood. Silver maple can be turned into timber which is sold with red maple as lumber.
How can you tell a silver maple?
Silver maples can be identified by their bark as it is fairly distinct. Older trees will have a grayish bark that will flake off to reveal brown spots. Also, broken twigs will have an unpleasant odor to them.
Does silver maple make good firewood?
Silver maple makes for moderate-quality firewood. With a BTU generation of 20.1, it can generate enough heat to warm your home overnight. It does not produce much smoke or sparks, so it is a fairly safe choice of firewood to heat your home.
What's the lifespan of a silver maple?
Answer: The life span of a silver maple will possibly surprise you! The tree can easily live for 100 years and have been known to live for 130 years.
How old is silver maple?
Wrap a tape measure around the tree at that height to obtain the circumference in inches. Divide the circumference in inches by 3.14 to get the diameter. Approximate the tree's age by multiplying the diameter by 3 for silver maple, 4.5 for red and Norway maple, 5 for black maple, and 5.5 for sugar maple.
Do silver maple trees have helicopters?
Red maples trees, silver maple trees, Norway maple trees and Japanese maple trees produce the most “helicopter” seeds, also called samara fruit. Helicopter seeds grow throughout late spring to early summer. Once they're mature, the helicopter seeds are usually blown off by the wind similar to leaves.
Is silver maple expensive?
Pricing/Availability: Should be very moderately priced, though figured pieces such as curly or quilted grain patterns are likely to be much more expensive.
How much is silver maple worth?
What is the price of Silver Canadian Maple Leaf Coins today? The current ask purchase price for a silver Canadian Maple Leaf is: $24.22.
Can you tap a silver maple?
Maple syrup can be made from any species of maple tree. Trees that can be tapped include: sugar, black, red and silver maple and box elder trees. Of all the maples, the highest concentration of sugar is found in the sap of the sugar maple.
How can you tell if your maple tree is a sugar maple?
0:271:52How to identify a sugar maple tree for tapping - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipTo know if you have a sugar maple. Look at the leaf if the cleft between your lobes is a u-shape seeMoreTo know if you have a sugar maple. Look at the leaf if the cleft between your lobes is a u-shape see that and if your edges of your leaf are nice and smooth. Then you have a sugar maple.
Is silver maple a hard or soft maple?
"Soft maple" is the common term for four species of maple trees: Silver maple (Acer saccharinum), Red maple (Acer rebrum), Boxelder (Acer negundo) and Bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum). Soft maple is commonly used for railroad crossties, boxes, pallets, crates, furniture, veneer, wooden ware and novelties.
How can you tell the difference between maples?
How to Identify Maple TreesIdentify maple trees by their leaves: Maple tree leaves usually have three or five pointed lobes. ... Identify maple trees by their bark: Maple tree bark is generally gray-brown to reddish-brown. ... Sugar maple trees have dark green leaves that turn red, orange, or yellow in the fall.More items...
How do I identify a sugar maple leaf?
The leaf of a sugar maple is 3-5 inches wide and has 5 lobes, with a smooth, curved edge where the leaf of the red maple is jagged. (In the fall, sugar maples are likely to look multicolored, showing green as well as hints of yellow, orange and/or red as their chlorophyll recedes.)
What is the minimum sugar level for maple syrup?
Using the refractometer, the inspector ensures that the maple syrup has a minimum content of soluble solids (sugar level) of 66% . Class or category of maple syrup. Using the spectrophotometer, the inspector checks the percentage of light transmission through the maple syrup.
What is maple flavor wheel?
This Maple Flavor Wheel is the scientific basis for describing the taste of maple syrup in a reliable and credible way. The Flavor Wheel is only one of the objectives of the flavor research project. The overall goal of the study was to develop the tools necessary to explore the spectrum of flavors in maple products and then reveal the secrets of their complexity.
Is La Ferme Martinette maple syrup?
At La Ferme Martinette, we compare maple syrup to a good wine. We guarantee a maple syrup without any flavor defect… We are looking for the subtle scent of maple, its delicate flavor and roundness without bitterness or drag in the throat. And if this delicious flavor and fragrance remains round in the mouth (covers all of our taste buds) for several minutes… there is a good chance that it is an excellent maple syrup!
Why is silver maple not good for syrup?
Silver maples are not ideal for syrup-making for a couple of reasons. The first reason is the low sugar content of the sap. Silver maples have thin, watery sap with relatively low sugar compared with some other maples.
What is the best maple for syrup?
The Best Maple for Syrup. Sugar maples are the go-to choice for sap tapping. According to the Missouri Botanical Garden, the trees, which are hardy in USDA zones 4 through 8, are prized for their sweet, sugary sap. The state tree of four states -- Vermont, West Virginia, New York and Wisconsin -- the sugar maple is common, attractive and tough.
What kind of maple is used for syrup?
The sap of a silver maple (Acer saccharinum) can be used for syrup, but it isn't the best choice. Of the maples, the sugar maple (Acer saccharum) is the one most commonly tapped to make maple syrup.
How tall does a silver maple tree grow?
The silver maple does grow quickly, however, and can reach heights of 80 feet. In addition, the roots are aggressive, so plant this tree where it will have plenty of room to stretch out -- both above and under the ground.
What color are the leaves on a silver maple tree?
The top of the leaves are bright green, with silver undersides. When a breeze blows the leaves, the tree appears to shimmer. In autumn, the leaves turn gold. Native to the East, the silver maple has also been planted in the West and is often used in urban areas.
How is maple sap harvested?
Sap for syrup-making can be collected from any of the maple species, according to the Ohio State University Extension website, though the syrup may be cloudier at the end, and the harvesting season is likely to be shorter. The sap is usually harvested in the spring before leaf buds begin to develop. Spouts are inserted into the trunks, and the sap runs out the spout and into a bucket, bag or other clean, food-grade container. Once the sap is collected, it is boiled until the water is almost gone, which leaves the sugary liquid. The syrup is then filtered while it is still hot and stored for later use.
How much sugar is in maple sap?
If you haven't anything but box elders, even those will produce sweet sap. When you consider that sugar maple sap is around 2% sugar, any sap with 1% isn't far behind. I've long threatened to tap into my neighbor's huge silver maple and just might finally do it next spring!#N#Martin
Can you cook down syrup?
I would avoid cooking down syrup in the house unless you are just doing a little bit for fun. The amount of water being evaporated is the bigger problem. I'm afraid you could end up bringing down your wallpaper or plasterboard. Sue
Can you boil syrup inside?
As someone mentioned, boiling inside with a good exhaust fan is fine. It will steam up the windows, but the smell is worth it! I still finish syrup inside so I can watch it closely.
Can you use silver maple syrup?
MELOC. yes you can do it with silver maples. you will get lots more sediment though. you will have to change whatever filter material you have more often when you filter your syrup. it will most likely take more sap to produce the syrup as well. silver maple sap has a lower sugar content than other maples. the syrup is good though.
Is tapping sugar maples a crude setup?
You're not too far from us. We got a good run the last couple of years. We posted on a blog about tapping sugar maples. It's a crude setup but it works.
Can you make maple syrup with silver maple?
yes you can do it with silver maples. you will get lots more sediment though. you will have to change whatever filter material you have more often when you filter your syrup. it will most likely take more sap to produce the syrup as well. silver maple sap has a lower sugar content than other maples. the syrup is good though. what they lack in sugar content, they make up for with sap production. they seem to produce lots of sap.
Do Maple Syrup Grades Taste Different
They sure do. When maple syrup comes into our plant every barrel is opened and sampled for flavour and quality. As a result, I can taste thousands of different samples of maple syrup every year. And believe me, there is a huge difference in flavour from one grade to another.
What's the Difference
In the early spring during the first few days of maple season, maple producers will generally make a very light maple syrup that is light in both colour and flavour. As the season progresses the maple syrup gradually becomes darker in colour and stronger in flavour. There is a new international standard for maple syrup grades.
How many compounds are in maple syrup?
But this is just the beginning of understanding maple syrup’s complexity. Maple syrup contains more than 200 separate flavor compounds - and new such compounds continue to be discovered every year, even now.
How much sap is needed to make 1 gallon of syrup?
Whereas it takes 20–30 gallons of early sap to get 1 gallon of syrup, it may take 60 gallons of late season sap to make 1 gallon of syrup - and with the prolonged boiling process, there are more residuals, making the eventual syrup darker.
What are the two sugars that are broken down in the sap?
Early in its transport and processing, microbes (bacteria and yeasts) in the environment of the sap break down its sucrose into the simple (“reducing”) sugars fructose and glucose.
Is maple syrup sweet?
Maple syrup tastes rich and very sweet. Almost like liquid caramel and butterscotch mixed together. When you put it on pancakes it makes for a heavy meal. I've never had it two days in a row for that reason. Pure maple syrup is expensive and it was years as an adult before I realized that what we called syrup as a kid was just corn syrup!!!! HFCS. When I first had a real maple syrup I didnt like the taste as it was so different than what I was used to. There’s a lot of cheap copycats out there. A bottle the size of a small ketchup bottle would cost $15 Canadian or more. Worth every golden penny. (Except we don't have pennies in circulation anymore)
Is maple syrup low grade?
I prefer a darker, thicker product with bolder flavors, but this is considered low-grade by those who decide what good syrup and bad syrup is.
Is dark syrup the same as light syrup?
So dark syrup has on average the same density, sugar content and pattern as light syrup ( see this study ). After all, the reason you boil it is to achieve the legally required minimum level of sweetness (66–68° brix - higher tends to form sugar crystals). But dark syrup contains 60 gallons’ worth of antioxidants (mostly polyphenols), essential minerals (calcium, phosphorus, others) and vitamins, compared with only 20–30 gallons’ worth in light syrup.
Is maple syrup graded by color?
Both Canada (accounting for 80% of world maple syrup production) and the United States (the remainder) have traditionally graded maple syrup by color ( literally, how much light at 560 nm it allows to transmit). In Vermont, there used to be Grades A, B and C, which just reinforced the popular attitude that darker syrup was like doing worse in school: it got a “C” instead of an “A” - a kind of arboreal racism, or perhaps “syrupism,” you might say.
How much maple syrup is produced in a year?
A lot of pounds are produced in a year. On average, 180 million pounds of maple syrup is produced worldwide every year. That’s … a lot of trees being tapped.
When is maple syrup season in Vermont?
But maple is on a different schedule. Tapping begins in late January and February and is dependent upon the weather.
How much sap does it take to make a gallon of maple syrup?
That gallon of maple syrup didn’t come from just a single tree. It takes 40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of maple syrup.
How long does it take for sugar maples to grow?
Sugar Maples are predominately the tree species we tap for maple syrup, and they can be re-tapped each year for centuries. It takes about 40 to 50 years for a sugarbush to reach a productive size of which they can be sustainably tapped, according to Butternut Mountain Farm founder and forester, David Marvin.
Which maple tree produces the sweetest sap?
There is also the Red Maple, which produces a less sweet sap. There’s the Silver Maple and the Florida Maple, the Box Elder and the Western Maple found in Oregon and British Columbia. While you can tap any of these trees for syrup, Sugar Maples yield the sweetest crop.
How long does a sugar maple tree live?
It’s whole life! “A well cared for sugar maple can live from 200 to 300 years old,” says David Marvin. Tapping the same trees throughout its life is common. One thing to take into consideration is where you tap year after year.
When does maple sap flow?
Sap flows as the days warm up, which begins to happen in March. From there, the sap travels down the sap lines and into the sugarhouse where the water is boiled down until we’re left with natural maple syrup.
What are the two trees that make maple syrup?
I have heard sugar maples as referred to as hard maples and rock maples. The red maple and sugar maple are the two trees that maple syrup is made from. This is primarily due to their geographic location in the North Eastern part fo North America.
Where are sugar maple trees located?
We're located in Nova Scotia on Canada's East Coast. As a result, we don't have a lot of highlands but we have a lot of maple groves at sea level or very near sea level. Sugar maple trees tend to grow at higher elevations (greater than 300m) while red maple trees tend to grow at lower elevations.
What is a red Maple Tree?
There are many different species of maple tree. Bigleaf maple, hedge maple, Japanese maple, Amur maple, Paperback maple and of course the sugar maple and red maple.
Does Nova Scotia have maple trees?
So Nova Scotia by its geographic disposition has a lot of red maple trees.
Is maple sap higher in sugar or red?
Sap Levels in Red Maple Trees versus Sugar Maple Trees. Sap from the sugar maple will usually contain more sugar than sap from a red maple tree so sugar maple trees are more coveted from an economic standpoint for producing maple syrup.
Syrup from different maple tree species
Well I was a little late getting my taps in last weekend while it was nice (both main and backup hand drill batteries had run out of juice so had to charge them over Saturday night).
Syrup from different maple tree species
Yes Silver Maples less sugar contain so have to boil off more water. I know a couple in the Mattawa area that make some maple syrup for personal use and their trees are pretty much all red maples, I have a bit of their Red Maple syrup and it does taste slightly different than my syrup made from sugar maples.
Syrup from different maple tree species
Black Walnut are fairly distinctive in the Winter. If you did want to try tapping them take a reference picture or book with you in the bush. Any excuse to be in the bush is a good excuse
Syrup from different maple tree species
Our sugar maples here on a good day run between 5 and 5.5% sugar. My friends silver never broke 1.5%....normally our sugars are closer to 2.7-4% range....we tapped one of those old trees one year and the bark was so thick we ended up almost burying the spile to get to sap wood.
Syrup from different maple tree species
That is interesting about the silver maples. I just have the one that is tapped. It has not been producing as much sap as most of the other maples but it was running pretty good today.
