As you may or may not know, we have been tapping our maple trees for a few years now. It is a wonderful outdoor activity that the whole family can be part of. Not to mention, you end up with some super yummy syrup!
Over the years, we have improvised and made our own equipment for tapping because, well, equipment can get a little pricey. For the most part, our homemade equipment served its purpose. But I have always longed for something that could keep the bugs out of our sap as it collected, you know, “REAL” equipment. And as with any hobby, you are always looking to upgrade what you use as time goes on.
Last year I contacted Maple Tapper about their equipment….. but it was flying off their shelves so fast, they were backed up on orders. That’s a good problem to have if you’re selling maple tapping equipment! That means more people are tapping and that they obviously carried affordable, quality supplies!! I also might have waited till it was a little too close to tapping season to try to get my hands on new equipment. *hangs head* So I suffered through yet another tapping season with ants getting in my sap collection buckets. Those little buggers would just shimmy down our homemade taps, jumping right in the sap on their quest for the sugars in the sap.
Now is the time to start thinking ahead for the tapping season. It is also a great time to think about giving a unique gift to someone you love. Tapping can be a family affair and Maple Tapper has kits and equipment for folks of all ages. That’s right, tapping is for kids too! Our oldest country kid loves collecting sap every year, boiling it down and of course eating the results!
This is a hobby that not only is educational, but it gets our family outdoors. The excitement of it all is amazing. Once kids start learning about the process and get their first taste of finished maple syrup, well it’s better then leveling up on any video game! My oldest looks forward to tapping season every year like a kid waiting for Christmas!!
If you are a seasoned tapper, you know the joy this activity brings. If you have never tapped before, do NOT be intimidated. This is a very easy hobby to get into and do. You can check out our tapping information or go to the Maple Tapper website to learn more. And don’t worry about not living in a maple forest, heck we only tap three trees (with 6 total taps) each year and end up with enough finished syrup to last our family all year. Our neighbors did look at us a little funny the first year, not knowing what was going on, but now they get just as excited when they see our taps go in! It really doesn’t matter where you live, as long as you have a maple tree.
Heck, you don’t even need a maple tree to be a tapper! Seriously!! Folks across the country tap all sorts of trees to make syrup. While it takes more sap and doesn’t taste just like maple syrup, you can tap walnuts, birches and sycamore trees.
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| Our homemade tapes and “buckets.” I can’t wait to use our new equipment from Maple Tapper this spring! |
The Maple Tapper website offers larger kits, individual supplies, and other syrup making equipment. If you have already begun your tapping hobby, trust me, take a peak at their supplies, you will be pleasantly surprised by their prices. I encourage people to either make gifts or give unique items that have an impact on others, and giving a gift of a tapping kit this season is a truly unique item that could set someone on a new life long hobby. The owner of Maple Tapper, Jim Kuehnle, started his company because as a child growing up in Michigan, he had fond memories of tapping and he wanted to be able to encourage others so they too could have these experiences and memories. Trust me, my own country kids have already started collecting those fond memories that will be with them for a lifetime, and that is a priceless gift.
And the best part about buying a gift or equipment from Maple Tapper is they “stay with you” after the purchase. Their website is full of information and they are always willing to answer a question. Now that is great customer service right there! And they don’t just send you equipment, each kit comes with important and helpful information. They even have A Kid’s Guide to Maple Tapping book that is a must read. While it was written for kids, it is not just for kids. There are beautiful photographs and the information provided makes the whole process of tapping easy to understand. My husband was and I quote “Highly impressed” after reading the book and the oldest country kid is excited to try some of the extra activities in the back.
The Giveaway
We have teamed up with Maple Tapper to bring you an exciting giveaway, just in time for the holidays. Like I said, both the adult and kid’s kit would make a great Holiday gift. They have everything you look for in a present: affordable, unique, educational, nature-oriented, fun for all ages, and reusable for years. And it sure beats another video game for kids to stare at!
Maple Tapper has very generously offered up TWO kits for this giveaway, one for adults and one geared toward kids, because they are all about getting the next generation of tappers started! You may enter BOTH giveaways! If you win, you can of course keep it for yourself, or you can wrap it up and put it under the tree as a gift.
This giveaway is open to US residents only. Sorry my foreign friends.
This great beginner kit is made especially for children and turns learning about nature into a sweet treat! With an informative and kid-friendly book plus instructions for the grown-ups, you’ll all enjoy this fun, family activity.
Kit includes:
•Five blue plastic, food-grade tubes (each 36” long)
•Five heavy-duty 5/16” tree saver plastic spiles
•One cone shaped maple sap pre-filter
•Children’s book, Kid’s Guide to Maple Tapping, filled with full color photos and fun activities! Specially written for readers 4th grade and up but also includes a special adult how-to section.
•Take along instruction sheet
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Happy Tapping!!!!
What an exciting time in anticipation of something so yummy! It's not often one hears folks talking about looking forward to the ground freezing! ;0D This is on our list of to-dos once we relocate. Thank you so much for the opportunity to win the right equipment.
I hope you'll share this outdoor post on Tuesday's Maple Hill Hop!
As much as I hate hauling water and breaking ice for the critters al winter, I do love when the ground freezes and the temps are just right in the spring for tapping. It is like the reward for putting up with snow all winter LOL
What a great post! I never thought about tapping other trees besides maples!
We never have, but it can be done!