![silver maple tree silver maple tree](https://i.stack.imgur.com/TnaNI.jpg)
Species of Maple used to make syrup How to Identify a Maple Tree for Syrup – Commonly used maple tree in Korea – Sap not boiled down – Not as sweet-resembles more of a green tea taste – Known for its health benefits – Native to the Rocky Mountain region – Does not produce ideal tasting syrup in spring
![silver maple tree silver maple tree](https://woodturningtoolstore.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/maple-LawrenceReid-1April2017.jpg)
– Found in Western US – Similar to sugar maples – Require daytime temps in 40s and freezing temps at night to thrive – Found in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest region – Requires cooler/freezing temperatures to thrive aka: the Pacific Northwest trees not always ideal candidates for making syrup – Mainly found in Northern Canada – Doesn’t have as much of a maple flavor as other syrups – Lower sugar content, requiring more gallons of sap to yield – Similar in sugar content and taste to sugar maples – Abundant species that can tolerate a variety of climate conditions – Also have a short sugaring season – Lower sugar content-1.7% – Yields a thin, light-colored syrup – Produces a sandy consistency of sugar – High sugar content, but not as high as sugar maples-1.5-2% – Grow in moist soil – Short sugaring season that alters its taste – Taste similar to sugar maples and yield about the same time of year – Found in the Midwest – Most commonly used for maple syrup – Have the highest concentration of sugar – Longest sugaring period – Produce the largest amount of syrup You can actually make syrup from some trees other than Maples such as Walnut or Birch but here are the most commonly used maple trees for making maple syrup: Maple Tree Species
![silver maple tree silver maple tree](https://snr.unl.edu/data/images/trees/species/ACSA2/bark_1.jpg)
Syrup flavor largely depends on sugar concentration, the weather and climate the trees grow in, and the amount of time the syrup boils. The Ideal Maple Trees to Tap to Make SyrupĮven though you can use any maple tree to make maple syrup, not all maple trees are created equal for producing the sweetest syrup.
![silver maple tree silver maple tree](https://www.chicagotribune.com/resizer/6Ne3MrQkXB0aVzs0DonZtWrTk7c=/1200x0/top/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-tronc.s3.amazonaws.com/public/5ZMPLM4DY5FX3G5J5RI3CGDFHM.jpg)
Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about the homemade maple syrup process. No matter which maple tree you have available, you can use it to make maple syrup, provided you have all the right information and follow the proper steps. The significant difference between various maple trees is the sugar concentration within the sap, which affects the syrup’s overall sweetness, making some trees better candidates than others. You can make maple syrup out of any maple tree species. Even maple syrups labeled as “natural” in the local grocery stores pale in comparison to homemade maple syrup-but can you make maple syrup from just any type of maple tree? Prefers high moisture conditions.Making maple syrup is a delicious way to take advantage of having a maple tree in your yard. Because of shallow roots will damage sidewalks and driveways.Ĭulture: Due to iron chlorosis (yellowing of leaves with veins remaining green) avoid planting in highly alkaline soils. Fast growing, weak-wooded, susceptible to storm damage. Spreading branches, narrow crotches, shallow root system. Unpleasant odor when crushed.īark: Trunk bark on older trees is gray, shaggy and may peel off in vertical strips.įlower: Greenish-yellow to red, blooming before leaves appear (one of the first trees in our area to bloom). Stem: Young stems are slender reddish new growth, gray older growth of stems is smooth. Leaf scars are connected across the stem by a horizontal line. Bud scales are sharper pointed at the tips on silver maple than they are on red maple. Extra buds may be present above some leaf scars (there may be flower buds along with a leaf bud that is stalked.) Flower buds are fatter and may have hairy margins. Heart-shaped leaf base.īud: Reddish, blunt or slightly pointed, small. Middle lobe may have 3 of its own smaller lobes. Leaf: Five pointed lobes deep, U-shaped, toothless sinuses. Sinuses are U-shaped and untoothed - Silver Maple 5b – Margins of lobes are toothed - go to 7.1a – Opposite leaf arrangement on stem - go to 2.Acer saccharinum (ay’-sir sak-ka-rie’-num)