Did you know it's really simple to tap a MAPLE TREE and get some liquid gold ?
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| Photo compliments of Anne Shuman |
Beat the Winter blues and celebrate Spring by making it an adventure in learning! This is a sweet nature project my friends Richard and Anne did with their grandson. You can try this at home, too. All you need is a Maple tree, containers, a spike, jars, patience and ingenuity.
You have to tap the trees in Early Spring, after snow. The equipment needed is simple, you can buy new equipment or reuse things you have around the house. It's up to you!
If it's too late for you to do this this year, be sure and put it on your calendar for next!
The Simple Art of Tapping A Maple Tree:
How, when, where:
- Generally, the sap starts to flow between mid-February and mid-March. (check for best times where you live). It can change year to year depending on the weather, too.
- Trees should be at least 12-20 inches in diameter. If the tree is 12-20 inches you can have one tap. If it's 21-27 inches you can have 2. Larger, you can have 3.
- Once you capture the sap you need to boil it down a lot.
- For more information and a complete guide go to TAP MY TREE
- Need More Help? Great tips on this Video
What you need: (You can buy a tapping kit or be creative and make your own)
- Healthy tree
- Drill
- Spike (Or Spile)
- Bucket or containers
- Jars
What you will need to do:
- Clean equipment
- Drill holes
- Insert a spike
- Tap the tree
- Boil
- Prepare jars
- Fill
Drill holes or buy maple syrup plugs (reusable)
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Boil, Boil, Boil. It takes several containers of sap to make a jar of syrup.
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Use recycled or new jars to store the maple syrup
Why not have kids jar their own maple syrup :) Such a sweet educational nature project for them, too! |
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| Photo compliments of Anne Shuman |
Complete Guide Available:
A simple and complete guide with detailed information can be found at TAPMYTREES.com. It's a great source with diagrams, charts, more.
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| From Tap My Trees .com |
Maple Syrup Recycle, Recipes and More Ideas:
For more ideas on maple syrup and items you can recycle to tap Check out Planetpals TAP TAP TAP for Maple Syrup Board on Pinterest
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Thanks to my friends Anne and Richard for a great story. If you would like to contribute a story idea to this blog contact me :)
