Exploring the many gifts offered by Sugar Maple the in the context of Food Forest Design. This is Installment #40 of the Stacking Functions in the Garden, Food Forest and Medicine Cabinet series.
no trees on a dead planet. the Jews must be stopped. they're arborcidal maniacs. have you seen what theyve done to Palestinian olive trees? so malicious! there is something very wrong with those folks and you would do well to try to keep them out of Canada as much as possible. hang a lot of Christmas lights up at the very least https://will263248.substack.com/p/les-gave-jeff-a-billion?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web
I love the idea, only thing is the acidity would have to be increased to make it shelf stable (at a safe PH that prevents Clostridium botulinum growth).
If you did it in a big batch and had a PH test strip while adding lemon juice to ensure it gets below 4.6 you could hot water can it, test for air seal and then keep it at room temp in jars safely for a year.
You can also freeze it, and ferment it (fermenting is my fav for preservation) make awesome tea or epic soup broth.
What happens if it’s above 4.6? I’ve canned lots of things, a lot of meat, and never concerned myself about that, and I’ve yet to have one go bad. Freezing it would be lovely, but you need to run a freezer. That can be done but the best way to approach power is to not need it so I’d rather not do that if there is another way.
sorry it took me so long to respond to this, the notifications are like machine gun fire on here sometimes and it gets hard to keep track.
If the PH was above that the possibility would increase for the bacteria species responsible for botulism to propagate.
Some other things have a naturally lower acidity or sugar content that prevents that but relatively neutral substances like Maple Sap would need a boost to be safe for shelf stable canning storage.
Well that is a lot of sap my friend, try making some sugar too if you don’t mind steaming up your living space , it is very tasty and versatile.
50 trees!? Damn, we had a storm down here with some thunder but mostly rain not wind.
Well along with having buildings materials and firewood consider that you also have mushroom growing materials (freshly fallen maple logs grow excellent gourmet mushrooms and medicinal mushrooms when inoculated with spawn ).
All you need is a modified angle grinder with a drill bit , some bees wax and some mushroom spawn which you order online and you can make some of those logs produce tasty mushrooms for 5 years plus.
It’s also worth considering that some of them could benefit the ecology of the forest just laying in place (though I know having access to local building materials without having to kill trees is a great opportunity too).
Thanks man I do hope I am able to make it up there some time.
Yes, it is a lot of sap. I think I'll go with 20 gallons.
When I limb trees I leave a pile in the bush and call that 'habitat'.
I'll have to clear a garden in the back eventually in what is now maple bush. I figured I would leave stumps for growing mushrooms. Probably on the shady side of the clearing?
I have limited welding experience, that does need to change.
Thanks for the link. I have a stainless steel pan from a deli fridge that will do for now.
However, everyone and their dog up there makes maple syrup, for now I was only going to make product for myself, and if my buddy is giving me surplus sap, bonus!
I live in Sweden, and I was wondering if there are alternatives here.
When I lived in upstate ny a few years ago I tried the 'lemonade diet', which is basically maple syrup, lemon and cayenne for ten days, with great results.
I have been thinking of repeating this, and looking for a good source of maple syrup in Europe.
Then you also got me thinking of planting where I live, to provide for future generations. I'm at 63 degrees north.
you can definitely plant sugar maples up there. cold is the main thing they need, they're a very vigorous hardy tree. Gavin is right about checking the soil, but it would be worth planting some just to see what they do. sometimes trees need extra care when young, but often not. if you plant enough of them, you could even create not just food but jobs and an entire industry. I would imagine there's plenty of room up in Sweden for some sugar maple forests. trade in all the Jew weaponized gimmegrints for sugar maple trees and the future will love you.
Thanks for reading part of my article and commenting.
As I stated in the article, all species of maple can be tapped (which includes your native Norway maple / Acer platanoides) so you could tap those trees for nutritious sap and making into syrup.
You can also tap Birch trees for making syrup (which is also very nutritious and delicious). It has a tangy / sweet flavor that is different than maple due to the organic acids present in Birch sap, but a lovely molasses/brown sugar type flavor and many health benefits.
You could tap your native Silver birch (Betula pendula) and Downy birch (Betula pubescens) for that purpose.
You can read my in depth article on Birch Trees for more info on making birch syrup here :
That lemonade diet sounds intriguing, I am a lover of chilis and have published material on their health benefits (here: https://gavinmounsey.substack.com/p/hot-peppers-for-health ) so I could understand why the combination of those would be beneficial.
Could you share a link to where I can learn more about the specifics of the "ice tea diet" ?
Sugar maples can grow in Cold Hardiness 3–8, so if you are within that range you could potentially grow some where you live if the soil was right.
Thanks again for the comment and question, hope my answer is helpful :)
Thanks again, Gavin, for your thoroughness! I'll check out those links to suppliers of birch syrup.
I'll find the link to the 'lemonade diet' that I followed, and come back to this thread when I have it. (It wasn't 'iced tea' - I haven't heard of that.)
Oh my goodness. What an AMAZING post. Thank you Gavin. Quick question -- are you saying that maple syrup can be used in place of alcohol to make tinctures? I ask this question because I have been wondering about whoever thought it was a good idea to put precious herbs into a toxic liquid we call alcohol in order to make "medicine". I've been using and making my own tinctures for years but I am at the point where my gut is not responding well to the alcohol. I'm seeking an alternative and wonder if maple syrup could be what I've been looking for. Please let me know what you think. Tx.
Hey Jeanice, thank you for the kind comment and question.
No I was not saying you can use raw maple syrup instead of alcohol for making tinctures.
Maple syrup (like honey) can be infused with dried herbs and spices to and it will be shelf stable for a year or more but it does not offer the solvent benefits of alcohol, vinegar or glycerin. I avoid glycerin tinctures myself as the glycerin is often extracted from soybean oil (and 98% of soybeans are cultivated using dangerous poisons such as glyphosate, with many soybeans also being genetically contaminated with other novel toxins as they are transgenic organisms). It is theoretically possible to make organic Coconut oil derived Glycerin, but it is rarely seen on the market due to soybeans agricultural domination globally.
When I mentioned preserving herbal medicine in the article above I was speaking about the fact that because tapping maple (or other tree species that produce edible sugar in sap) offers you a local trustworthy sugar source, that sugar can be used for fermenting to make shelf stable herbal mead (or "maple wine" if you will). One can also distill mead to make high proof alcohol if they have a still (enabling DIY tincture creation from scratch using only that which grows in a northern food forest).
Alcohol is effective for extracting medicinal compounds from plants and fungi and making tinctures because of its solvent properties. Typically one can take tincture in a quantity that does not intoxicate or negatively impact most people with the alcohol content but I know some people are sensitive or prefer to avoid it for personal reasons. You can go one step further than alcohol fermentation and do a medical herb infused vinegar fermentation and that would allow you to preserve medicinal compounds in a non-alcohol shelf stable medium using local materials.
And thank you for this spectacular answer! I very much want to move away from using alcohol and so I will try the vinegar approach. Thank you for providing this suggestion and for this really well thought out answer to my question. I appreciate your work so much.
I live in the Colorado San Juan Mountains. I believe our temperatures are similar, but we don't have your humidity or your rainfall. I wish I could grow sugar maples (if I had enough land), but with our dry climate, I'm not sure it would work without extensive irrigation. Blessings to you, though. You are an inspiration.
Thank you very much for the thoughtful comment, I am glad you appreciate my work.
As I said in the article, there are approximately 128 different species of maple, and while the article focuses on one dominant maple in the region where I live–the sugar maple (Acer saccharum)- much of the information in the article also applies to other kinds of maple trees. The main difference being that sugar maple trees in particular live up to their name and produce more sugar in their sap than other species (resulting in less being required for boiling down to make syrup).
If you have either Bigtooth Maple (Acer grandidentatum) or Rocky Mountain Maple (Acer glabrum) growing where you are those can also be tapped for accessing nutritious sap and making syrup.
It is also worth noting that just about any deciduous tree can be tapped for syrup.
A few trees I have tapped for sap are with good success were Black Maple, Silver and Red Maple, Birch (Betula lenta, B. alleghaniensis, B. papyrifera), Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis), and Black Walnut (Juglans nigra) and other Juglans species as well as Hickory (trees of the genus Carya). Though it should be noted that non-sugar maple species often require significantly more sap to make syrup (ranging from a ratio of 70/1 sap to syrup to upwards of 120/1 for some species like sycamore and hickory).
Hope this helps and thanks for reading and commenting.
Glad you enjoyed the other article on Birch trees as well.
Each of these articles on trees are essentially an unpublished chapter from my second book , so at some point you`ll be able to get them in print if you like.
My first book (Recipes For Reciprocity: The Regenerative Way From Seed To Table) offers techniques, perspectives and recipes that invite one to walk along a holistic pathway to cultivate, harvest and preserve delicious food (while giving back to the Earth at the same time). I touched on using food as medicine in my first book with a chapter that was devoted to exploring using food as part of a preventative medicine regime through proper nutrition. I also touched on how to grow some of those foods in the context of a Forest Garden.
My next book is going to focus more specifically on working with medicinal plants and fungi through the permaculture lens, offering not only info on how to regeneratively cultivate and/or regeneratively forage for each species, but also how to companion plant them as synergistic guilds in the context of food forest design. This series (and the book I eventually create from combining them) will also offer ideas for formulas for how to combine one’s harvests in synergistic ways which serves to augment and potentiate the efficacy of the medicinal compounds they contain.
The book will also include expanded information on other powerful medicine plants which originate from other parts of the world will also be explored for their potential roles in a food forest ecosystem (some of which I have written about such as Tulsi, aka “Holy Basil”, Cannabis, Goji Berries, Amaranth, Ginger, Turmeric and Hot Peppers).
I intend to design dietary lists that serve to stack-functions and are formulated to embark on pathways to healing and optimizing the function of specific parts of the body and addressing specific conditions.
One of the methods of synergistically combining these ingredients is in the form of tea, decoctions and potent herbal infusions.
For instance, I have endeavored to compile lists of medicinal plants and fungi that offer potential to offer cardio-regenerative/cardioprotective, radioprotective, neuroprotective, neuro-regenerative, nootropic, osteo-regenerative, osteoprotective, hepatoprotective, ocular-regenerative/ocular-protective, anti-carcinogenic, immunomodulatory, adaptogenic, mitochondrial-protective, mitochondrial-regenerative and anti-coagulant effects.
The book will offer a guide for Stacking Functions in the Garden, Food Forest and Medicine Cabinet and a trail map to embark upon the Regenerative Way From Seed To Apothecary.
wow you really go in depth. this has to be one of the very best writings on maple of all time. thanks. its so much more than just great firewood! I'm with that Elf character from the movie who said that maple syrup was an entire food group in and of itself. I've had about 10 sugar maples in one big pot for about 4-5 years now I need to plant them up in the mountains where it gets colder here in northern California. I think I might have gotten the little seedlings from burnt ridge nursery pretty cheap. we've got the Big Leaf Maple native here and I heard you can get syrup out of it, and other kinds of trees, but just not as good as sugar maples. I've never tried to do it. https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=32326800137&dest=USA&ref_=ps_ggl_18382194370&cm_mmc=ggl-_-US_Shopp_Trade0to10-_-product_id=US9780393026672USED-_-keyword=&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=17190383930&gbraid=0AAAAAD3Y6gtFqlRICA5Urg1GAYSSxisQB&gclid=Cj0KCQjw4PPNBhD8ARIsAMo-icwoDR4jeNNZ_KX8vIdNoHX5Uwoufsso6ef_ozc1kQAHHPqLsVcPJ6gaAsY7EALw_wcB
no trees on a dead planet. the Jews must be stopped. they're arborcidal maniacs. have you seen what theyve done to Palestinian olive trees? so malicious! there is something very wrong with those folks and you would do well to try to keep them out of Canada as much as possible. hang a lot of Christmas lights up at the very least https://will263248.substack.com/p/les-gave-jeff-a-billion?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web
Oh yeah, I'll can a lot of that sap based on your article, boil it and put it in mason jars. Comments on that?
I love the idea, only thing is the acidity would have to be increased to make it shelf stable (at a safe PH that prevents Clostridium botulinum growth).
If you did it in a big batch and had a PH test strip while adding lemon juice to ensure it gets below 4.6 you could hot water can it, test for air seal and then keep it at room temp in jars safely for a year.
You can also freeze it, and ferment it (fermenting is my fav for preservation) make awesome tea or epic soup broth.
What happens if it’s above 4.6? I’ve canned lots of things, a lot of meat, and never concerned myself about that, and I’ve yet to have one go bad. Freezing it would be lovely, but you need to run a freezer. That can be done but the best way to approach power is to not need it so I’d rather not do that if there is another way.
I need to build a root cellar too.
sorry it took me so long to respond to this, the notifications are like machine gun fire on here sometimes and it gets hard to keep track.
If the PH was above that the possibility would increase for the bacteria species responsible for botulism to propagate.
Some other things have a naturally lower acidity or sugar content that prevents that but relatively neutral substances like Maple Sap would need a boost to be safe for shelf stable canning storage.
Ya man I need a root cellar too.
Buddy say he will give me 45 gallons of sap if I want it.
I'll experiment with lemon juice then. Not tapping yet.
At least 50 trees fell last night so I'll have lumber without feeling guilty about cutting them down.
I'll ping you when the bugs go down if you're coming up.
Well that is a lot of sap my friend, try making some sugar too if you don’t mind steaming up your living space , it is very tasty and versatile.
50 trees!? Damn, we had a storm down here with some thunder but mostly rain not wind.
Well along with having buildings materials and firewood consider that you also have mushroom growing materials (freshly fallen maple logs grow excellent gourmet mushrooms and medicinal mushrooms when inoculated with spawn ).
All you need is a modified angle grinder with a drill bit , some bees wax and some mushroom spawn which you order online and you can make some of those logs produce tasty mushrooms for 5 years plus.
It’s also worth considering that some of them could benefit the ecology of the forest just laying in place (though I know having access to local building materials without having to kill trees is a great opportunity too).
Thanks man I do hope I am able to make it up there some time.
Yes, it is a lot of sap. I think I'll go with 20 gallons.
When I limb trees I leave a pile in the bush and call that 'habitat'.
I'll have to clear a garden in the back eventually in what is now maple bush. I figured I would leave stumps for growing mushrooms. Probably on the shady side of the clearing?
I can have 2200 maple taps according to MNR Gavin.
No time for that this year but buddy is going to give me up to 45 gal of sap if I want it.
Address officially changed, I am a denizen of the wild.
Hey man! Its great to hear form you.
Wow that is awesome, That could be a serious income if you got some good gear.
There are lots of DIY setups but this gear looks solid for streamlined production if you can swing it:
https://vermontevaporator.com/product/diy-seedling-maple-syrup-evaporator-kit-with-barrel/
Though if you can weld or know someone that can looks pretty easy to make.
I have limited welding experience, that does need to change.
Thanks for the link. I have a stainless steel pan from a deli fridge that will do for now.
However, everyone and their dog up there makes maple syrup, for now I was only going to make product for myself, and if my buddy is giving me surplus sap, bonus!
I have so much to do Gavin. And that's just fine.
The most comprehensive article on the mighty Maple! Sincere thanks!
Wow. So thorough, I got overwhelmed!
I have to save this.
I live in Sweden, and I was wondering if there are alternatives here.
When I lived in upstate ny a few years ago I tried the 'lemonade diet', which is basically maple syrup, lemon and cayenne for ten days, with great results.
I have been thinking of repeating this, and looking for a good source of maple syrup in Europe.
Then you also got me thinking of planting where I live, to provide for future generations. I'm at 63 degrees north.
you can definitely plant sugar maples up there. cold is the main thing they need, they're a very vigorous hardy tree. Gavin is right about checking the soil, but it would be worth planting some just to see what they do. sometimes trees need extra care when young, but often not. if you plant enough of them, you could even create not just food but jobs and an entire industry. I would imagine there's plenty of room up in Sweden for some sugar maple forests. trade in all the Jew weaponized gimmegrints for sugar maple trees and the future will love you.
Greetings Kay
Thanks for reading part of my article and commenting.
As I stated in the article, all species of maple can be tapped (which includes your native Norway maple / Acer platanoides) so you could tap those trees for nutritious sap and making into syrup.
You can also tap Birch trees for making syrup (which is also very nutritious and delicious). It has a tangy / sweet flavor that is different than maple due to the organic acids present in Birch sap, but a lovely molasses/brown sugar type flavor and many health benefits.
You could tap your native Silver birch (Betula pendula) and Downy birch (Betula pubescens) for that purpose.
You can read my in depth article on Birch Trees for more info on making birch syrup here :
https://gavinmounsey.substack.com/p/birch
There are also a few Birch Syrup producers in your region that may be worth trying to source out if you cannot make your own:
Here is info on a Swedish Birch Sap producer:
- https://www.nepokc.se/blogpost/hogtorps-gard/
- https://en.organicsweden.se/bjrksirap
and here is info on a Finnish producer of Birch sap:
- https://www.arcticbirch.fi/
The last link is a Finnish producer of Birch Syrup :
- https://www.kvarkennatureandfishing.fi/birch-syrup/
That lemonade diet sounds intriguing, I am a lover of chilis and have published material on their health benefits (here: https://gavinmounsey.substack.com/p/hot-peppers-for-health ) so I could understand why the combination of those would be beneficial.
Could you share a link to where I can learn more about the specifics of the "ice tea diet" ?
Sugar maples can grow in Cold Hardiness 3–8, so if you are within that range you could potentially grow some where you live if the soil was right.
Thanks again for the comment and question, hope my answer is helpful :)
Thanks again, Gavin, for your thoroughness! I'll check out those links to suppliers of birch syrup.
I'll find the link to the 'lemonade diet' that I followed, and come back to this thread when I have it. (It wasn't 'iced tea' - I haven't heard of that.)
It’s so cool to me that I absolutely feel the motherly vibes when I’m with a maple tree.
Oh my goodness. What an AMAZING post. Thank you Gavin. Quick question -- are you saying that maple syrup can be used in place of alcohol to make tinctures? I ask this question because I have been wondering about whoever thought it was a good idea to put precious herbs into a toxic liquid we call alcohol in order to make "medicine". I've been using and making my own tinctures for years but I am at the point where my gut is not responding well to the alcohol. I'm seeking an alternative and wonder if maple syrup could be what I've been looking for. Please let me know what you think. Tx.
Hey Jeanice, thank you for the kind comment and question.
No I was not saying you can use raw maple syrup instead of alcohol for making tinctures.
Maple syrup (like honey) can be infused with dried herbs and spices to and it will be shelf stable for a year or more but it does not offer the solvent benefits of alcohol, vinegar or glycerin. I avoid glycerin tinctures myself as the glycerin is often extracted from soybean oil (and 98% of soybeans are cultivated using dangerous poisons such as glyphosate, with many soybeans also being genetically contaminated with other novel toxins as they are transgenic organisms). It is theoretically possible to make organic Coconut oil derived Glycerin, but it is rarely seen on the market due to soybeans agricultural domination globally.
When I mentioned preserving herbal medicine in the article above I was speaking about the fact that because tapping maple (or other tree species that produce edible sugar in sap) offers you a local trustworthy sugar source, that sugar can be used for fermenting to make shelf stable herbal mead (or "maple wine" if you will). One can also distill mead to make high proof alcohol if they have a still (enabling DIY tincture creation from scratch using only that which grows in a northern food forest).
Alcohol is effective for extracting medicinal compounds from plants and fungi and making tinctures because of its solvent properties. Typically one can take tincture in a quantity that does not intoxicate or negatively impact most people with the alcohol content but I know some people are sensitive or prefer to avoid it for personal reasons. You can go one step further than alcohol fermentation and do a medical herb infused vinegar fermentation and that would allow you to preserve medicinal compounds in a non-alcohol shelf stable medium using local materials.
Thanks for the great question.
And thank you for this spectacular answer! I very much want to move away from using alcohol and so I will try the vinegar approach. Thank you for providing this suggestion and for this really well thought out answer to my question. I appreciate your work so much.
I live in the Colorado San Juan Mountains. I believe our temperatures are similar, but we don't have your humidity or your rainfall. I wish I could grow sugar maples (if I had enough land), but with our dry climate, I'm not sure it would work without extensive irrigation. Blessings to you, though. You are an inspiration.
Hi Patricia,
Thank you very much for the thoughtful comment, I am glad you appreciate my work.
As I said in the article, there are approximately 128 different species of maple, and while the article focuses on one dominant maple in the region where I live–the sugar maple (Acer saccharum)- much of the information in the article also applies to other kinds of maple trees. The main difference being that sugar maple trees in particular live up to their name and produce more sugar in their sap than other species (resulting in less being required for boiling down to make syrup).
If you have either Bigtooth Maple (Acer grandidentatum) or Rocky Mountain Maple (Acer glabrum) growing where you are those can also be tapped for accessing nutritious sap and making syrup.
It is also worth noting that just about any deciduous tree can be tapped for syrup.
(For more info: https://practicalselfreliance.com/trees-species-tap-syrup/ )
A few trees I have tapped for sap are with good success were Black Maple, Silver and Red Maple, Birch (Betula lenta, B. alleghaniensis, B. papyrifera), Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis), and Black Walnut (Juglans nigra) and other Juglans species as well as Hickory (trees of the genus Carya). Though it should be noted that non-sugar maple species often require significantly more sap to make syrup (ranging from a ratio of 70/1 sap to syrup to upwards of 120/1 for some species like sycamore and hickory).
Hope this helps and thanks for reading and commenting.
Thank you for that enlightening information. I will save and file it for future use. Blessings.
As a 5th generation Maple producer, this was a great article to read. I'm even more excited to get tapping.
That is awesome!
Do you guys cultivate any other crops underneath your maple trees?
Thanks for the comment.
Really enjoyed reading this Gavin, and also your recent similar post about Birch. Thank you.
Hey John,
Thanks for taking the time to read and comment.
Glad you enjoyed the other article on Birch trees as well.
Each of these articles on trees are essentially an unpublished chapter from my second book , so at some point you`ll be able to get them in print if you like.
Ah, that sounds great! Look forward to hearing when it’s published. Will that be covering other trees as well?
Yes indeed, in my next book I will be including species profiles on many tree species that are well suited to incorporate into food forest designs.
I offer hyperlinks to many articles I have already published on trees and perennial medicine plants in this post:
https://gavinmounsey.substack.com/p/stacking-functions-in-the-garden-199
My first book (Recipes For Reciprocity: The Regenerative Way From Seed To Table) offers techniques, perspectives and recipes that invite one to walk along a holistic pathway to cultivate, harvest and preserve delicious food (while giving back to the Earth at the same time). I touched on using food as medicine in my first book with a chapter that was devoted to exploring using food as part of a preventative medicine regime through proper nutrition. I also touched on how to grow some of those foods in the context of a Forest Garden.
My next book is going to focus more specifically on working with medicinal plants and fungi through the permaculture lens, offering not only info on how to regeneratively cultivate and/or regeneratively forage for each species, but also how to companion plant them as synergistic guilds in the context of food forest design. This series (and the book I eventually create from combining them) will also offer ideas for formulas for how to combine one’s harvests in synergistic ways which serves to augment and potentiate the efficacy of the medicinal compounds they contain.
The book will also include expanded information on other powerful medicine plants which originate from other parts of the world will also be explored for their potential roles in a food forest ecosystem (some of which I have written about such as Tulsi, aka “Holy Basil”, Cannabis, Goji Berries, Amaranth, Ginger, Turmeric and Hot Peppers).
I intend to design dietary lists that serve to stack-functions and are formulated to embark on pathways to healing and optimizing the function of specific parts of the body and addressing specific conditions.
One of the methods of synergistically combining these ingredients is in the form of tea, decoctions and potent herbal infusions.
For instance, I have endeavored to compile lists of medicinal plants and fungi that offer potential to offer cardio-regenerative/cardioprotective, radioprotective, neuroprotective, neuro-regenerative, nootropic, osteo-regenerative, osteoprotective, hepatoprotective, ocular-regenerative/ocular-protective, anti-carcinogenic, immunomodulatory, adaptogenic, mitochondrial-protective, mitochondrial-regenerative and anti-coagulant effects.
The book will offer a guide for Stacking Functions in the Garden, Food Forest and Medicine Cabinet and a trail map to embark upon the Regenerative Way From Seed To Apothecary.
Thank you. The quality and depth of your innovative, meaningful, spiritual, and insightful work continues to astound me.