# Silver Maple Syrup?



## laughaha

Not many big sugar maples on this property, but lots of Silver Maples. Could I make syrup out of this? Has anyone done this and if so was it any good?


----------



## 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.  what they lack in sugar content, they make up for with sap production. they seem to produce lots of sap.


----------



## Paquebot

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! 

Martin


----------



## Terri

I tapped my silver maples last spring, but I only got a cup of sap. I don't think the weather was right, as I have heard that silver maples produce well.

I boiled down the sap, and I got enough candy for everyone in my family to have just a taste. It WAS good!


----------



## MELOC

i have two really big silvers in my yard and one of them produced nearly 2 gallons of sap per day...give or take as it could have been more or less. i had to keep an eye on the jug or it would overflow. lots of the reds averaged only 1/2 gallon to 3/4 of a gallon.


----------



## laughaha

Yea!!! I'm so excited that I get to try to make syrup this spring. 

Didn't know about the box elders, I'll have to see if we have those. I know we don't have birch, which bites cuz I really wanted to make birch syrup for homemade birch beer.


----------



## MELOC

ohhh...its bad enough collecting 35-60+ gallons of sap to make a gallon of maple syrup. are you ready to collect 100 gallons of birch sap to make a gallon of birch syrup?


----------



## Matt B

Anyone in the south make their own maple syrup? I live in middle Tennessee and I've read information about Native Americans making their own maple syrup and maple sugar. I have two huge maple trees in my back yard and my parents' have a few out on their land and I've thought about tapping them for the past few years but didn't know if it would be worth it or not.


----------



## MELOC

do you get freezing weather?


----------



## Matt B

MELOC said:


> do you get freezing weather?


Yep, it'll eventually get down to freezing temps here.


----------



## MELOC

you need to find a time in late winter, perhaps as early as january-february, when the temps go from the 20's at night into the 40's in the day for the sap to run. i live in southern pa and that time is hard to pinpoint and is often interupted by warmer than average temps and colder temps as well. making syrup is more suited to northern states where they normally have a "typical" sap run.i only got half of what i expected last season...if that. the weather kept warming up and the trees stopped giving sap. if you tap too soon and the taps sit dry, the tap hole will dry out and you won't get much. you sorta need to hit it just right.

give it a go though and see what happens. i hear there are other folks down your way that make syrup, so maybe you will have luck.


----------



## debbiebofjc

Is it true that you do NOT want to boil the syrup inside the house?
I've heard you get sticky residue on everything (ceiling, cabinets, walls).


----------



## Use Less

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


----------



## MN Gardener

Learn from my mistake....do not boil it in the house! LOL


----------



## used2bcool13

Yes, I have done that it is a big sticky mistake, I thought I was being smart using the woodstove.... 
Good luck we loved it.
:bash:


----------



## MELOC

it shouldn't be a problem if you have a good exhaust fan over the stove. 

i boil mine most of the way outside and finish it inside.


----------



## newman_maple

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.


----------



## Humburger

Yes, I have made syrup from silver maples and a river birch tree, too. It takes more sap, but I got lots of sap. And, yes, you will have to do a little extra filtering. It is really good syrup, though. It is worth it, if you have a lot of trees and the time and inclination.


----------



## How Do I

Matt B said:


> Anyone in the south make their own maple syrup? I live in middle Tennessee and I've read information about Native Americans making their own maple syrup and maple sugar. I have two huge maple trees in my back yard and my parents' have a few out on their land and I've thought about tapping them for the past few years but didn't know if it would be worth it or not.


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.


----------

