The process of making syrup is an easy one: Tap trees, collect sap, boil it down to evaporate the water content and concentrate the naturally occurring sugars in the sap. But if you're a homesteader new to sugaring, how do you evaporate gallons of sap effectively and efficiently? In this post I'm going to help you choose the right evaporator for backyard sugaring by sharing the pros and cons of a few methods that have worked for us, from DIY set ups, to investing in equipment that makes the job easier and more fun. Choosing the Right Evaporator for Backyard Sugaring The DIY Evaporator Our first year or two making black walnut syrup in NE Missouri, we relied on a very simple system: … [Read more...]
Tree Sap: Nature’s Spring Tonic
The first winter we lived in NE Missouri, I was treated to a beverage that I had never tasted before: tree sap. Our neighbors routinely tapped their black walnut trees, not to make black walnut syrup, but to drink the clear, slightly sweet tree sap as a spring tonic. Since that day, I've drank many a quart of tree sap, and indeed, my body seems to crave the slightly sweet, mineral-rich beverage come late winter. Sap is an excellent alternative to sodas Why Drink Tap? Sap is an ultra-seasonal and ultra-local, 100% natural healthy beverage Sap flows out of the tree pure and cold; a perfect refreshment Sap is loaded with minerals, nutrients, enzymes, antioxidants, … [Read more...]
The Sugarmaker’s Companion :: Book Review
When we began making black walnut syrup last winter, we wished for a go-to guide to help us with the process. We knew from talking with local friends that black walnut sap was drinkable and very tasty; surely if we boiled it down we’d come up with an edible product! After a season’s worth of tapping and boiling down sap, we discovered that black walnut syrup is DELICIOUS. And, we discovered a book that I wish we had when we first began - The Sugarmaker’s Companion: An Integrated Approach to Producing Syrup from Maple, Birch, and Walnut Trees, by Michael Farrell. Chelsea Green, one of my favorite publishers, sent me a copy to review, and I began reading from cover to cover. What makes … [Read more...]
Making Syrup in Your Backyard
Did you know that you can make syrup from trees growing in your own backyard? It's true! You don't need a lot of acreage and a sugarbush to tap trees and make delicious syrup. Our family tapped only 14 black walnut trees last winter, and made 5 quarts of syrup - enough to last our family of four for close to one year! Tapping is easy, fun, and is a great activity to do with children. Plus homemade syrup is an outstanding natural sweetener to add to baked goods and desserts. Here's how to get started making syrup in your backyard. Making Syrup from your Backyard Trees Step One: Identify tappable trees Even if you only have one tappable tree in your … [Read more...]
How to Tap Black Walnut Trees for Syrup
As the days lengthen and the first signs of warmth, sun, and green grass creep into our lives, we've undertaken a super-exciting project: tapping the black walnut trees on our property to make syrup. Although sugar maples are the tree of choice for commercial sugaring due to their high ratio of sugar to water in their sap, many other types of trees can be tapped to make syrup, including silver and red maples, hickory, birch, box elder, and walnuts. Having tasted the delicious, light, and refreshing sap of black walnut at our neighbor's house last winter, we were eager to tap our own trees this year and to experiment with making black walnut syrup. First off, a few basics of … [Read more...]