EThe plant life around us can provide sustenance in emergency or in our daily life. Trees, in particular, have multiple edible parts. Leaves, bark, and twigs can all be edible. However, you must be cautious as some trees contain poisonous elements. Even if the leaves, twigs, and bark are edible, they may not be the most desirous.
Thankfully, many trees produce sap which can be refined to a more delicious food. Once you know the method, collecting and working with sap is the same for any tree.
Harvesting sap for sustenance is a seasonal practice. In early spring, you tap deep into the heart of the tree trunk to extract the sap. The most common tree to be tapped is the sugar maple. This is because it is so easy to turn this sweet sap into maple syrup. Overall, sugar maples are one of the easier trees to tap and the result is delicious.
However, there are hundreds of other trees species that can be tapped with excellent outcomes. For example, all maple species can be tapped. Additionally, you can tap birches and walnuts. You can even tap a sycamore tree.
All maple species produce sap. Some of these species include:
- Sugar maple
- Black maple
- Red maple
- Silver maple
- Bigleaf maple
By far, the most tapped tree is the sugar maple.
Several species of walnut also produce sap. Some walnut species are:
- White walnut
- Black walnut
- English walnut
Walnut trees produce a sap like maple trees. Moreover, it can flow through the spring, winter, and autumn months.
Birch trees are also excellent sources of sap. Some birch species you can tap are:
- Paper birch
- Yellow birch
- Black birch
- European white birch
Finally, the sycamore tree produces an exquisite butterscotch-like sap.
Sugar Maple
By far, the most common tree for sap extraction is the sugar maple. It produces the most sap per season. Additionally, the natural sugar content is close to 2.0%.
Sugar maples grow in the northern United States and parts of lower Canada. Overall, the sugar maple is well-established and thriving throughout these regions. Sugar maples easily reach 100 feet tall, growing at a medium rate of one to two feet per year.
For optimal sap production, the sugar maple must experience a hard freeze throughout the summer. In areas where the yearly low is above 50 degrees, the sugar maple cannot germinate. Truly, this tree prefers cold weather and thrives in it.
As stated previously, you can tap all maple trees for sap to produce syrup. However, we prefer the consistency of the sugar and black maple over other species. You can tap a sugar maple for most of its mature life.
To tap a maple tree, you must drill a tap to a point just inside the bark called the phloem. After collection, you will boil the sap to evaporate any water content. What is left behind is known as the delicious syrup we pour over our pancakes. Syrup production from the sugar maple has occurred since the late 1600s.
Black Walnut
The black walnut takes the place as "the king of sap" in the Midwest United States. Overall, the black walnut grows from Texas to the East Coast. With a higher tolerance to heat, the black walnut can replace the sugar maple in many areas.
In nature, the black walnut grows to 75 feet tall with a 75-foot spread. Like the sugar maple, it grows approximately one to two feet per year. The sugar content and consistency of sap from the black walnut is like the sugar maple. However, the black walnut does not produce nearly the same amount of sap.
You will tap a black walnut just as you would a sugar maple. You must drill a hole approximately two inches into the trunk. It is best to tap your tree facing South-Southwest when possible. Do not tap a black walnut until the trunk is at least 8 inches in diameter.
Altogether, black walnuts produce sap in spring, winter, and autumn. This is because they are traditionally planted in warmer environments. While the trees still need a freezing cycle to produce sap, they are more flexible in this matter.
Paper Birch
Birch trees traditionally produce sap that is less sweet than their maple counterparts. That being said, the paper birch is the sweetest of the birch genus, close to 1% sugar content.
Overall, the paper birch grows north of the sugar maple territory. It is a flourishing species across much of Canada and some northern areas of the United States. The paper birch grows quickly, typically two feet per year. In northern regions, the paper birch can live for 100 years. However in southern zones, the paper birch may only last 30 years.
The tapping process is the same for birch trees. You can expect sap to run for collection for two to three weeks once tapped. Once your paper birch reaches a diameter of eight inches, you can tap it for sap. It is best to tap it in Mid-April. Avoid trees with excessive dead branches or any noticeable fungus.
The sap will taste like sweet water and is perfectly safe to drink straight from the tap. You can also boil the sap to produce syrup, but it will be less sweet than maple syrup.
Other birch species thrive in warmer climates. The sap from these trees is not as sweet as the paper birch.
Sycamore
The sycamore is a unique tree species to tap for sap. Generally speaking, the sycamore grows across the Eastern United States. They grow from Texas to the East Coast. Moreover, you can find them thriving in the New England Area and in Alabama.
The sycamore tree grows to 130 feet in height. With good growing conditions, the trunk can reach a diameter of six feet. These trees stand across the United States as a strong species. However, they are plagued by some pests like the sycamore leaf beetle.
You will need to drill slightly deeper into the trunk to extract sap. You must drill approximately three inches deep. Otherwise, the tapping and boiling process is the same for sycamore sap. What is unique about the sycamore sap is the flavor. It is not as sweet as maple syrup; but it holds a butterscotch-like flavor.
Sycamores can fill a gap where maple trees do not grow. They still need to experience some freeze to release the sap for collection. With such a unique flavor, many northerners tap these trees alongside maple trees.
