I’ve been interested in foraging most of my life. The problem is, except for picking wild berries, I rarely did it. But the bug has hit me hard the past year or two. I think I might love it more than gardening. And that’s saying a lot.
What’s not to love about being out in the woods and fields, discovering new plants, and learning how to use plants I’ve known forever? Fresh air, exercise, and free, healthy food all wrapped into one.
Plus, there’s that sense of adventure. A friend of mine and I recently joked about foraging being the cause of my death, and what my epitaph will say. But seriously, I’m super careful, and you should be, too.
Harvesting Bark From the Shagbark Hickory Tree
The Shagbark Hickory, Carya ovata, is a deciduous, nut-bearing tree native to much of the eastern U.S. The bark of this hickory naturally exfoliates, giving the tree its shaggy appearance, and making the tree quite easy to identify.
Surprisingly, the bark may used to make tea and a syrup similar to maple syrup. While maple syrup is made from boiled down sap, hickory bark is first made into tea, and then sugar is added to turn the tea into syrup.
Start collecting bark by first looking around on the ground for pieces that have already fallen. When removing bark directly from the tree, only remove pieces that are already very loose. Prying away pieces that are more tightly attached can leave the tree vulnerable to insect attack. You won’t need a lot to make your syrup.
On to the Hickory Bark Syrup Making
The first step in this process is to clean your bark. Using a stiff brush, scrub each piece of bark on both sides under running water to remove any insects or lichen. Pat the bark dry with a dishtowel.
Break the bark into manageable pieces – 4″ to 8″ works nicely. Preheat your oven to 325°F. Spread your bark in one layer onto cookie sheets, and toast in the oven for 20 – 30 minutes, just until you begin to smell a wonderful, hickory aroma. This step really helps to impart a lovely taste to your syrup.
Now place your bark into a large pot and cover with filtered water. Bring to a boil, and immediately lower the heat. Simmer slowly for a half hour.
Strain your liquid. Go ahead and enjoy a cup of this tea if you like, sweetened with a little honey. It’s rich in magnesium.
Don’t throw away the bark. Save it to toss on the coals the next time you grill to give your meat a smoked hickory flavor.
Now measure your liquid and add one cup of organic cane sugar for each cup of liquid. I’ve experimented with using honey instead of the sugar to make the syrup, but I didn’t care for the results. The honey was overpowering and it took longer to thicken. In addition, I prefer not to use expensive raw honey in recipes where it is cooked.
Be sure to completely stir in the sugar to prevent it from crystalizing later on in the shagbark hickory syrup. Bring the liquid back to a boil, and continue cooking until desired thickness. It’s not necessary to stir while cooking down the syrup. I used a candy thermometer and cooked mine until it reached 225°.
While the syrup is cooking, sterilize canning jars and lids. Once the syrup reaches its desired consistency, pour the hot syrup into the hot canning jars, leaving a half inch headspace, and cover with lids and rings. The lids will seal and the syrup will keep until ready to use. Once opened, refrigerate the syrup.
Use just like you would use maple syrup on pancakes and waffles. Add it to your favorite barbecue sauce. And yes, drizzle it over vanilla ice cream!
Are you a forager? What’s your favorite thing to forage?
Hickory Bark Syrup
Ingredients
- hickory bark see note
- organic cane sugar
Instructions
- Using a stiff brush, scrub each piece of bark on both sides under running water to remove any insects or lichen. Pat the bark dry with a dishtowel.
- Break the bark into manageable pieces – 4" to 8" works nicely.
- Preheat your oven to 325°F.
- Spread your bark in one layer onto cookie sheets, and toast in the oven for 20–30 minutes, just until you begin to smell a wonderful, hickory aroma.
- Now place your bark into a large pot and cover with filtered water. Bring to a boil, and immediately lower the heat. Simmer slowly for a half hour.
- Strain your liquid and measure.
- Add one cup of organic cane sugar for each cup of liquid.
- Be sure to completely stir in the sugar to prevent it from crystalizing later on.
- Bring the liquid back to a boil, and continue cooking until desired thickness. It’s not necessary to stir constantly while cooking down the syrup. Cook until it reaches 225°F on a candy thermometer.
- While the syrup is cooking, sterilize canning jars and lids.
- Once the syrup reaches its desired consistency, pour the hot syrup into the hot canning jars, leaving a half inch headspace, and cover with lids and rings. The lids will seal and the syrup will keep until ready to use.
- Once opened, refrigerate the syrup.
Notes
Thank you for visiting Learning And Yearning. May "the LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace." Num 6:24-26
Cary Bradley says
Hello! I’m excited to try making my own shagbark hickory syrup and really appreciate you sharing your procedure here. Could you please help me by estimating how much bark you used for this pot of syrup? I realize it is crazy hard to estimate and wonder if some kind of square footage-ish might work? Sure am looking forward to trying this! Thanks!!! 🙂
Susan Vinskofski says
Hi Cary! I had a reusable grocery shopping bag, and I filled it about halfway. Of course, it was in there very loosely. Once I broke up the pieces at home, it probably all fit in a large colander.
Anne says
I’ve been hooked on Hickory syrup since I tried it ~10 years ago, and only this week learned the relatively simple method!! It’s unlike me to stay that ignorant for so long. Thankfully, I saw that a homesteady friend on FB was making it, so I decided to give it a go. I’ve followed several blogs/articles for instruction, and yours has been my favorite! I found it during the “steeping” phase and was delighted to see that your photos looked just like my process. You have just enough instruction without all the extra commentary. Thanks so much! I’m about to can mine now. <3
Susan Vinskofski says
Wonderful!
Cary says
What a fun idea to try! Can you estimate how much bark you used for this potful? Thanks!
Quinn says
Wow! This is really interesting! I would have guessed hickory bark syrup to be made the same as maple syrup not literally from the bark. I can’t wait to try this 🙂 (And I love that your frugal tip for saving the bark for the grill)
Susan Vinskofski says
Hello, friend! Let me know how you like it. Mike and I both love it; my daughter not so much. It has a mellow, smokey flavor.
Gayle says
Can you use the hickory chips you can buy in a bag for smoking meat
Susan Vinskofski says
Hi Gayle, the chips would be the wood of the tree, rather than the bark. I really don’t know if that would be work or not.
Abigail says
I never knew you could use hickory for syrup! We don’t have any on our property but maybe we’ll have to go hunting for some. We do maple syrup in the spring, and this year we are hoping to try black walnut syrup too. Thanks for sharing!
Jarrett says
Does the tea itself have a sweet flavor? I wonder if you could cook it down like maple syrup without adding sugar.
Susan Vinskofski says
Hi Jarrett. No it’s not sweet. I really don’t think that that would work.
Mark says
I’ve purchased hickory syrup aged in whiskey barrels which was really good. I was wondering if adding a little whiskey to the syrup might give it a similar taste? Although I plan to make some of this syrup I doubt I’ll make enough to fill a whiskey barrel. lol
Susan Vinskofski says
Hi Mark! Sounds great; if you give it a try let me know how it turns out!
Robin says
With oak planks cut to fit in your jars char the wood ever so slightly, soak it in whiskey for as long as you think could impact the syrups flavor place in the jar pour hickory bark syrup as in the directions but water bath the jars 10 minutes then pull out and cool. I would experienment with only one jar the first go around.
Jared says
I was pretty surprised when I read this article. We live on a farm in Missouri, with about 80 acres of timber. About half of the timber is hickory. Needless to say we have no shortage of bark. My dad grew up in Wisconsin and always taped the sugar maples for syrup. He still goes up every few years to help. I found the hickory syrup to have a very similar taste to maple. Very much enjoyed the tea with a little raw sugar.
I did however have a bit of trouble with crystallizing. My first batch was almost completely crystallized the next day, and even after 10 minutes of boiling the jar, I barely got enough go one pancake. Any tips on avoiding this? The seconded batch I made doubly sure the sugar was totally dissolved. It seemed to be alright.
Also, do you have any resources regarding the levels of magnesium in the tea? It was recommended to me to get more magnesium to treat my IBS and chronic neck and shoulder pain from a car wreck. Would like to be able to better monitor my intake.
Thanks,
Jared
Susan Vinskofski says
Jared, at the bottom of this post are tips for avoiding crystallization http://davescupboard.blogspot.com/2011/01/making-shagbark-hickory-syrup.html. I’m afraid I don’t have information about the specific amount of magnesium in the tea, although I’ve read that it’s the highest plant source there is. I’ve never seen more than a few hickory trees together in one area. 40 acres must be spectacular!
Jared says
Thank you. That was very helpful. Thinking back, my second batch did much better, and I dissolved the sugar much better, and I didn’t stir the syrup very much. I’ll definitely take those tips into consideration on my next batch.
Susan Vinskofski says
Great!
Rebecca Newman says
Hi! I’ve just started getting into making hickory syrup and was wondering if you’ve ever tried adding any other type of sugar? Thanks!
Susan Vinskofski says
Hi Rebecca, the only other sugar I have tried is honey. We just didn’t like the syrup made with honey as much and it took much longer to cook down. I like using coconut sugar in a lot of my recipes, but I haven’t tried it in the syrup.
Shelly says
I made shagbark syrup, has a good flavor but did not get thick. Is there anyway I can fix this?
Susan Vinskofski says
Hi Shelly, try cooking your syrup a bit longer. I hope that helps!
Jared Eggo says
I have searched high and low on the internet trying to find information on the magnesium content of Hickory Bark and all I can find is the statement “hickory bark is the highest plant source of magnesium” with no reference. Do you know where I can find research or a source other than the same quote?
Susan Vinskofski says
Hi Jared, I’m sorry to say that I can’t point you to any studies. I know that many hickory syrup makers that bottle and sell it make that claim. Perhaps they can help.
McKee says
We have hickory tress, but not shagbark anywhere, can you use that kind of bark in place of shagbark ?
Susan Vinskofski says
I’m only familiar with shagbark hickory. The bark is easy to remove without damaging the tree; I’m not sure that would be the case with other types of hickory.
Anna says
Not to hi-jack this recipe but you can also use regular hickory to make this syrup. A very wise “heritage wildcrafter” told me to gather the nuts, hulls, and a few fallen twigs. Then just repeat the directions above: ie, washing, toasting, making the tea, etc. So for those of use that don’t have shagbark hickory trees…you can still have the syrup. I’ve had both and make both. Equally awesome!
Susan Vinskofski says
I love this; thanks for the great info, Anna!!!
Tracy says
We don’t have the shagbark but we so have a lot of hickory trees that we sometimes cut. Could the bark from these be used?
Susan Vinskofski says
Tracy, my biggest concern would be how to remove the bark without harming the tree. With shagbark, it comes off itself.
Cindy Conway says
Why couldn’t you use Light Karo Syrup as sweetener.
I picked up some bark from trees near us and left them out on picnic table. Got sidetracked and never made it. Maybe will try again.
Susan Vinskofski says
Hi Cindy, I personally avoid anything made from corn because of GMOs. I do prefer organic cane sugar. Glad you stopped by!!!
Tricia says
Nice! Glad to see people are interested in this syrup. I used organic can sugar on my first batch. Came out very dark, rich flavor. Second batch I used white (cheap) sugar. That was a no, no! The better sugar cost more, but the flavor is worth it!
Don’t fret if your syrup crystalizes…you can still throw it back in the pot, reheat, and NOT stir so much. Try adding things like molasses, or sourgum….brown sugar (which is white sugar with molasses). It’s a great way to enjoy nature and they syrup makes great gifts!
Jen says
Is there a particular time of year to collect the bark?
Susan Vinskofski says
Hi Jen, fall is ideal but really, you can harvest any time that the bark has fallen to the ground on its own, or is loose enough to harvest without damaging the tree.
Jackie Banks says
Made 22 small jars today and love the smell in the house and the taste of the syrup. Thank you for the article. ??
Susan Vinskofski says
You’re very welcome; you’re certainly ambitious!
GREG says
IS IT ALLRIGHT TO USE SUGAR IN THE RAW,THAT IS AVALABLE IN OUR LOCAL STORES.
Susan Vinskofski says
That should be just fine, Greg.
Jeremiah says
Hey just finished a small batch and was amazed how much easier it was compared to maple syrup so much faster thanks for directions on this loved it
Susan Vinskofski says
So glad to hear that, Jeremiah! Enjoy!!!
Jerry Gunsalus says
I was wondering if you can boil the syrup down enough to make sugar on snow .
Susan Vinskofski says
What an idea; that just might work!!!
Kathleen Hanford says
Is there a printable source for this recipe without all the pictures?
Susan Vinskofski says
I’ve updated the post and have added that for you, Kathleen. Thanks for stopping by.
Stacey says
I made this syrup and it turned out really good. Is it necessary to add the equal amount of sugar for each cup of syrup? I only added 2 1/2 cups of sugar I think to about 19 cups of water. It didn’t affect the syrup consistency at all. I boiled til 225 and it came out thick. I just know that the amount of sugar bases on how long the item will be preserved after opening. I just don’t care for extremely sweet things. I definitely will be making this syrup again and canning it for gifts. It seems like a long process too but worth it. Thanks for the recipe!!!
Susan Vinskofski says
Here’s the thing, Stacey. When you add less sugar you end up boiling the concoction much longer. It will not reach 225 until it’s at a certain consistency and that just means boiling off more water. The final product will have the same amount of sugar.
Stacey says
Ok,thank you so much for getting back to me ?
Ellen Linn Huff says
Hi I am anxiously awaiting the process of making this syrup. But I was wondering if anyone has added flavoring to the syrup? A friend of mine told me about the process, and we have a huge tree on our property so I am excited to try this. We make maple syrup every year, so this will be fun for me, except I can’t find any directions for adding flavors and what amounts do I use. My friend said his had cinnamon in it. Does anyone do this, if so please respond and let me know the measurements. I am curious about using blueberries. Help!!
Thanks for great instructions.
Susan Vinskofski says
I have no experience with adding flavors, but why not add cinnamon sticks to the water when you are simmering the hickory bark?
Jackie says
Made this a couple of times now and love it
Lisa Julia says
Will probably never go back to maple syrup. I experimented with brown sugar and it was excellent.
Susan Vinskofski says
So glad to hear that!
Paul Preissner says
Hi
Thanks for the great information on Hickory Nut Syrup! I’ve read other articles and some say to add “cream of tarter” or “citrus juice” to the cane sugar mixture when simmering it down in the final stage to prevent crystallization but they don’t say what the ratio is or how much to add. Do you know?
Thanks so much!
Paul
Susan Vinskofski says
Hi Paul, no, I’m sorry, I’ve never added any other ingredient so I don’t have that information.