In my unending adventure in learning the obvious (see here where I learn what straw is and here where I find out what they mean by a bonfire and here where I discover that spaghetti with red sauce doesn't count as “bland” in a bland diet), this past weekend I figured out which of the gazillion trees that surround me are sugar maples.
Because I am thinking that maybe, possibly I could do maple sugaring next winter, I dunno.
I'm so excited, because now I can identify maples of all kinds! Before, I only knew “maple” and “Japanese pin maple” and that was it.
There are three large maples outside my kitchen window, and one is a silver maple and one is a red maple and one is a… ta DAH! Sugar maple! The biggest one!
And the one by the deck is a sugar maple too! It's huge!
And then there is another medium size one out in back, and then there are two positively enormous ones just outside our property line that I think I could get permission to tap, and then, when I build my maple sugaring empire, there is a whole alleé of them next door at the old farm.
So I believe I am good to go, maple sugaring -wise.
Now, in the spirit of the Aunties who tell you what you need to know when the experts just go on and on with all this information that can't possibly be of any use to anyone other than other experts, such as that the bark is shaggy and splits vertically, which is true but then there are other ones with bark that doesn't shag or split, or that the leaves of one maple are bigger than the leaves of another, when everyone knows that leaves on the same tree are of different sizes, so how can that possibly help, I will tell you how to tell a sugar maple.
Just in case you too have no idea.
First, if it's spring, notice that the tree has these dangling panicle-y flowers. It makes the whole tree look sort of feathery and bright, light green. That's a sugar maple. The other ones have flowers that are more flowery and don't hang down like that, besides being redder.
Second, every other maple will have its seeds (those little helicopter thingies that we used to open up and attach to our noses when we were walking to school in the olden days when kids were allowed outside) in the spring — so you'll be looking to see what kind of flowers the tree has and you'll see the seeds (called samara) and that will not be a sugar maple.
Red (I guess; it is red) maple, with its seeds.
Silver (I guess — the experts say there are hundreds of kinds of maples) maple, not feathery and light green because of the little hanging flowers, and with lots of seeds that are too high up for me to get a photo of.
But….
Third, if it's fall, and it's a sugar maple, it will have its seeds then.
Not in the spring.
Snap.
Pippajo says
Oooooooh, Man-Cub and I just read the part in Little House in the Big Woods when Pa goes sugaring off with Grandpa and then they have the big dance at Grandma's with all the babies on the bed and the jigging and as much maple syrup as anyone could eat!
Fresh, homemade honey AND maple syrup? The only left for you to do after that is buy a cow!
MamabearJD says
We just read that a few months back! Exactly what I thought of when I read this post.
Lisa G. says
So much work, Leila! Do you really want to do this? But, now I can't resist going outside while it's still light to see if we have any.
Melanie B says
Very helpful indeed. Much better than a guidebook. Seeds in the fall… I think we must have some of those round here. I'm going to start paying attention.
Sue says
Love it! Maples are my all time favorite. However, I am quite sure that I have no sugar maples, nor tapping, in my near future, but I will file this information away, just in case. :o)
Mary says
Now. Red maple, black maple, and most other kinds of maples can also be tapped! You are not limited to the sugar maple, promising as it sounds. Leila, tap those maples. You'll not be sorry!
Dyan says
Leila, you are tooo funny! This informative post made me laugh and I learned a new word—“panicle-y”. I think you'll do great with the maple sugaring this winter. If I had that many large sugar maple trees that close to me, I would do it, too. Good luck!
Miriam says
Here is my big. dumb. question.
Can I tap maples in Oregon? I should enter this in the search box I'm sure. We have maples that look JUST LIKE your sugar maples, but we call them “big leaf maples” because we're scientific like that. Hmm.
Elizabeth says
That's very interesting! But actually, you can tap any kind of maple tree (except a Swamp Maple, I believe). The only difference is, it takes less sap to get a cup of syrup from a Sugar Maple than from other kinds. The Sugar Maple sap to syrup ratio is roughly 32:1, whereas other types lean more toward a 40:1 ratio. And sugaring is easy! You should definitely try it. But boil it down outside, unless you have wallpaper in your kitchen that you're really wanting to strip. That's a LOT of water to get rid of.
_Leila says
From what I have read you can't use the sap from Norway maples — which do have big leaves, Miriam, so check to see what you have.
Other than that (and other ornamental maples), yes, you can tap any maple. But the ratio of water to sugar is much higher for other varieties than sugar or black maples, so if you have sugar or black maples (which I have no idea what those look like), like I do, go for those! Less to haul, less to boil down.
Here's a good fact sheet: http://ohioline.osu.edu/for-fact/0036.html
Also, my sugar maples are at least twice the size of the other ones, so you can put more taps in. And my big sugar maples are pretty close to the house — hauling through the snow every day is a consideration!
I do plan to set something up outside to do the boiling. For anyone interested, this book is a good one: http://www.amazon.com/Backyard-Sugarin-Complete-H…
Debbie says
How exciting. Living over in Central Oregon we aren't as Maple blessed as you are. 🙁 I'll be watching longingly as you tap yours next spring…
Blessings, Debbie
Barbara says
We have red maples in the front of our yard and a sugar in the back. Sugar maples have the most brilliant leaves of all the maples in autumn (and I truly don't think I am biased ) — they are gorgeous, brilliant gold leaves!
nt12many says
Leila, now you can combine all your wonderful knowledge about bonfires with your newly acquired wisdom about maple sugaring and boil away! Why not have a real old-fashioned sugaring party…fire and all?
If you weren't so far away from me I would invite myself! It sounds like a wonderful history lesson in the making!
Jill .www.generationalwomanhood.wordpress.com” target=”_blank”> ” target=”_blank”>http://www.www.generationalwomanhood.wordpress.com
_Leila says
Yes, sounds like a plan!
You should come! Who wouldn't want to be in the Northeast in late February!
Anitra says
Ah ha! I was pretty sure there were no sugar maples around, either at my house when I was a child, nor at the house I own now as an adult.
Lots of other kinds of maples, though… including the biggest Japanese red maple I've ever seen.