Episode 168: How to Turn Tree Sap into Syrup | Homesteading, Food Systems & Self-Sufficiency

Introduction

Hi everyone and welcome back to the Homestead Education Podcast. Today I have David Knudsen from Montana Maple Works with me and I am so excited to talk about all things maple syrup. So, hi David, how are you today?

Doing great. Thanks for asking.

So tell us a little bit about you and what you do.

Getting Started with Maple Syrup

So I live in Missoula, Missoula is known as the Garden City. City planners started planting Norway maples back when the city was originally founded. So our tree canopy in Missoula is predominantly maples, Norway maple to be specific, which is native to Eastern Europe.

There are other maples planted around. The Norways are kind of invasive and so they’ve gotten into all the waterways and irrigation ditches. So it was about 11, 12 years ago now that I was raking the leaves in front of my house and it was like a spring day, well late winter, early spring day. And I was just pondering my thoughts and thinking, okay, I know these are maple trees. What kind of maple trees are these? Can we make maple syrup? How do you make maple syrup? Can we make maple syrup here?

So after a little research, I discovered what kind of trees they were. I have one Norway and two Silvers planted in front of my house. And Silver Maples are commonly tapped for syrup. Norways, not so much, especially in their native environment, which I find kind of surprising.

So I ordered some equipment, a simple tapping kit, 10 spiles with some drop lines attached. I did a bit more research and realized that at that time there were a few more days of weather conducive to a sap flow. You’re looking for days that are above freezing, ideally in the 40s with sunshine, and then falling back below freezing, ideally around 25 or so so that you get enough cold to draw the sap up into the canopy that can then flow the next day.

So I put it together, okay, I could tap in, but I’m probably not going to get a lot of sap for that many days. So I held off until the next year. I got a few more trees.

The first year I tapped about five trees. Very shortly after I tapped in, it was about a week to 10 days, I came out to collect my sap in the afternoon one day and I saw all my equipment was gone. All the taps had been taken out of the tree.

So I thought about it for a second. This doesn’t seem like vandalism. Then I realized these are most likely city trees. So I put it together that it was probably the city making a statement.

So I followed up and called the forestry department, not implicating myself, and asked what they would do in this case. They said they would come in, take the equipment off, and try to inform the homeowner that this isn’t allowed.

I was waiting for my second child at that time, so I was definitely home and I never got the in-person contact. In Missoula, homeowners are responsible for the trees that are in front of their house, even if they’re not on the property per se.

So my brain was like, okay, I’m paying to water these trees, I’m paying to keep the clearance over the street and sidewalk, I should be able to tap these trees. I didn’t know a tremendous amount other than the research I had done, but I figured that if people have been making maple syrup for as long as they have, it doesn’t kill the trees.

I mean, sustainable maple syrup tapping doesn’t damage trees.

No. In fact, there’s a study that was done in Michigan that showed there is possibly the opposite effect.

So I was frustrated and I didn’t want to go through channels or go to city council. I made a meeting with my mayor and went directly to the top. He couldn’t have cared less. He didn’t think it was that cool.

So I was like, alright, this isn’t going to deter me. I just have to find other trees that aren’t street trees.

Growing Into a Business

The next year I got together about a group of 30 trees. There were some maples in front of my children’s school, so I started teaching classes that next year, just sharing the experience. Then 30 trees became 60 trees.

In 2018, I made a goal to try to tap as many trees as I could. Being self-employed and a property manager, I was able to make the time. Every day after I dropped my kids off at school, I walked around the neighborhood and connected with homeowners to get access to more trees.

By late winter in 2019, I had 250 trees to tap. I realized I needed the proper evaporating capacity. I put systems in place to efficiently reduce the sap into syrup.

I had a great season. I made about 45 gallons that year. I realized I had created a small business without really intending to.

Like when you have one business, then you end up with another. You just go down that slippery slope.

Yes, very true.

So I contacted the sanitarian and went through the proper avenues of getting licensed to sell my syrup. That’s when I created Montana Maple Works.

The next year I tapped the same amount of trees. Then we had a terrible windstorm and a tree fell in my yard. Through that process, I learned that property lines in Missoula are not cut and dry.

The arborist department determined the tree was more on my property, so I was responsible. At the same time, the head forester approached me and said I would be receiving a cease and desist letter for tapping trees on public right-of-way.

So I had to shift gears and ensure all the trees I tapped were on private property. I lost a significant number of trees.

The next year I was approached by Utah State University. They received a USDA grant to study the feasibility of maple syrup production in the Intermountain West. I became involved as a local expert.

Now I’ve tapped up to 400 trees, taught classes across multiple states, and shared my expertise.

How Tree Tapping Works

So tell us a little bit about what kind of trees you can tap.

Any tree in the Acer family, any maple tree, will give you sweet sap. Every tree has a different personality with different sugar levels and flavor profiles.

You can also tap black walnut, birch, sycamore, hickory, and others, though each has different processes and challenges.

So how do you tap a tree?

It’s really simple. You need a drill, a clean drill bit, and a tap. You drill about one and a half to two inches into the tree and set the tap with a hammer.

You can collect sap using buckets, bags, or tubing systems. Some trees can produce four to five gallons of sap in a day under ideal conditions.

From Sap to Syrup

So how does that translate into syrup?

The rough average is 40 to 1. You need about 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup. That varies depending on sugar content.

Yard trees with open canopies often have higher sugar content than forest trees. Some trees may require 60 to 1 or even 80 to 1 ratios.

So how do you boil it down?

You simply boil the sap until it reaches about 66–67% sugar concentration. This can be done with basic equipment, but larger surface areas make the process more efficient.

Sap is perishable, so it needs to be processed quickly to maintain quality.

Why This Matters

We’ve talked a lot about homesteading and learning skills. Even if you’re not tapping trees every year, it’s valuable knowledge.

Sugar is something we can’t always easily produce ourselves, but tapping trees provides an alternative.

A lot of people don’t realize these resources are available in their own backyards.

It gives you a unique taste of where you are. Like terroir in wine, the flavor reflects the environment, the tree, and the conditions.

It’s just another resource that’s available almost anywhere.

Closing

Well, I really appreciate you coming on today and sharing your knowledge because I think this is something that opens people’s eyes.

Do you have a website you want to share?

Montana mapleworks.com

If you want to learn more, that’s where you can go.

Feel free to reach out if you have questions. I love connecting with people and sharing this knowledge.

Wonderful, thank you.

Absolutely, good talking to you.