Maple Syrup prices

[skflyfish]

I stopped by the local Amish store for some supplies and took a glance at the price of maple syrup.

$58.00 per gallon!  Of course, even more in smaller quantities.

Ouch!

Glad I make my own. 

Sure makes honey look cheap, which was selling at $25 per gallon last fall.

Makes one wonder what honey prices will be like this year.

Jay

[deknow]

honey would be priced similarly if the beekeeper had to evaporate the excess moisture by hand as well!

deknow

[rdy-b]

I stopped by the local Amish store for some supplies and took a glance at the price of maple syrup.

$58.00 per gallon!  Of course, even more in smaller quantities.

Ouch!

Glad I make my own. 

Sure makes honey look cheap, which was selling at $25 per gallon last fall.

Makes one wonder what honey prices will be like this year.

Jay

  how many trees you gota tap for a gallon and whats the time frame-I have been wondering since i got the betterbee cat and they sell kits-dont think it is viable in my state though but very curious--RDY-B

[danno]

50 to 55 gals of sap boil down to one gal of syrup.   The although I have many trees I tap 3 - 4 big ones at the edge of the woods and can get my 55 gals in just a few days.  Each tree gets 3 - 4 taps

[rdy-b]

 what color is the sap before the Boiling down--RDY-B

[Countryboy]

You only need to get $4.83 per pound to get $58 a gallon for your honey.

There is a local Amish ran produce auction - I think half gallons of syrup were going for $15-$18, and $8-$10 for quarts.

A gallon of honey sells for $38 here.  You have to buy 5 gallons (and often a 55 gallon drum) to get it for the $2 a pound comparable to the $25/gallon you quoted.

[Vetch]

what color is the sap before the Boiling down--RDY-B

Close to clear. Sometimes a slight tint. The brown comes from caramelization of sugars.

[skflyfish]

rdy-b,

Does California have sugar or red maples? Or yellow birch?

Sugar maples have the highest sugar concentration. Usually 40-45 gallons of sap per gallon of syrup. Some make syrup from red maples which is more in the 50-60 gallons of sap per gallon of syrup. In Alaska only have yellow birch and I believe it takes around 80 gallons of sap to make a gallon of syrup.

And yes the sap is nearly clear, to a slight brown tint, if it freezes and you can remove the ice.

I agree with Danno's comment from another thread that though the first sap run is prized by many, I like sap from the end of the run, where it gets darker and to me, more flavorful.

Usually tapping in the north begins from mid-Febraruy to mid-March. It flow when the day time temps are above freezing and the night time temps are below freezing. What you are collecting is the sap that is stored in the roots during the winter. Sap can run for as little as a week or as long as a month. Just depends on the weather. The more canopy the tree has the higher the sugar concentration, plus fertility of the soil plays a factor too.

HTH,

Jay

[skflyfish]

Country Boy,

There are a couple of counties east of me that get very high gallons per hive ratios and that sets the price for honey in areas that don't produce as well, like my county. Kinda tough to get a decent price last year.

On an unrelated note, you grow a lot of heirloom tomatoes! Enjoyed your videos on the varieties. I will probably PM you on a couple of varieties.

Jay

[Countryboy]

The honey market is larger than your county and surrounding counties.  Try selling to people other than who the other beekeepers are selling to.  Charge a fair price - people will pay it.  Don't feel the need to tie your price to everyone else's.

I didn't record all my varieties of tomatoes this year...I had close to 150 varieties this year.

[deknow]

...someone told me today that some maple syrup producers trap the water boiled off from the sap.  Due to the (at least perceived) purity of the water distilled from sap that has been purified by the tree, combined with the large volume of water, they get more $$$ from the water than they do the syrup!

deknow

[AllenF]

That makes sense.

[Countryboy]

...someone told me today that some maple syrup producers trap the water boiled off from the sap.  Due to the (at least perceived) purity of the water distilled from sap that has been purified by the tree, combined with the large volume of water, they get more $$$ from the water than they do the syrup!

I don't know any syrup producers who condense the steam and sell it.  But if there's a buyer - go for it.

I do know that if you make maple syrup by boiling the sap on the kitchen stove like my brother and I did our first year, you have to do a lot of scrubbing in the house for Mom because everything gets a sticky film.  Windows are very noticeable - so I doubt the steam is as pure as people might think.  From my experience, it still has some sugars in it.

[skflyfish]

@deknow.

Interesting. I agree with CB, there is a lot of sugar in the steam. So with condensing it, the sugars would become residual in the water. To keep it from spoiling, it would have to contain a preservative or canned. The first option would negate the purity, I believe.

Jay

[danno]

I would think that if there is a market for the water, that the guys that use the RO systems before the boil would have a corner on that market

[gunner7888]

 Just for the hoot of it, I am thinking of trying to make maple syrup from my silver maples next year. I read it is possible but would require even more sap. Has anyone tryed silver maple and does anyone think it is worth the effort? It would be just something to do.  Thanks  Scott

[danno]

I have not tried silvers only because I have 100+ sugarmaples but they will work.  You can even tap boxelders and make syrup

[Stephen]

Will other types of maples work or does it have to be a sugar maple?

[danno]

all maples work.  even box elder that is a member of the maple family but sugar and black maples put out the most, highest quality sap

[Keeperwannabe]

Why don't they tap maples in other parts of the country like say in Oregon or california?