DIY Maple Syrup Tapping System for under $1 [new infographic updated for 2016]

It’s just about time, folks.  If you live in the northern US/southern Canada and have maple trees on your land and you don’t tap your trees for their magical sap, you are missing out!  Maybe you think the setup is too difficult, or maybe too pricey?  We used to think so too, but turns out it is neither!  Check out our infographic below to see our super simple system that brings us a year’s supply of delicious maple syrup for under $1 per tree.

Before you start: Check out our complete guide for harvesting sap and making syrup

We published a complete guide to help absolutely ANYONE harvest sap from maple trees and turn it into pure, wonderful syrup.  The book is loaded with everything you need to know, including easy to understand, cheap strategies and detailed plans.  If you find this blog post helpful, get ready–the rest of what you need to know is in this book.

Check it out here:

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OK. First, a note on timing . When you tap the trees varies from year to year.  The goal is to get taps set up just before the daytime temperatures will consistently be above freezing and the nighttime temperatures will be below freezing.  For a lot of places, this comes between mid-February and mid-March.  We tapped early this year since it has been unseasonably warm!

The first step to making syrup is getting the sap.  You can buy pricey spouts and buckets, set up complex and efficient tubing systems with vacuum pumps, or you can spend under a buck a tree.

And don’t forget to check out our book for the complete guide to making your own maple syrup!  It is available for cheap on Amazon:

Have a sweet time!