On Saturday my husband was out with his friend getting a fire pit ready for boiling sap. He called me and said listen. I heard the unmistakable sound of sap hitting the collection bucket!! Drop, drop, drop! I grew up in Quebec and I KNOW that sound. My childhood friends parents collected sap and made their own maple syrup. They would invite all the neighborhood families over for a great big pancake and sausage brunch! I remember drinking the sap so I am amazed they had enough left to make syrup with.
We took our girls to the maple bush for a quick lesson from their Uncle M and Grampa I on tapping a tree for sap. It was incredible. As soon as the tap was in the tree, the sap was running! And the sap was there for the taste testing... of course!!
Fun Maple Syrup Facts
It takes between 20 and 50 litres of sap boiled down to enjoy 1 litre of syrup?
Maple Syrup boiled past syrup becomes Maple Cream, Sugar and Candy.
Warm sunny days (above 5ยบ C) and frosty nights are ideal for sap flow.
Tapping does no permanent damage to the tree.
Only 10% of the sap is collected each year.
One day of collecting sap and there is one 200 litre barrel that is almost completely full. We will be boiling the sap next weekend. I will update you on the outcome. Having been in Calgary for the last 5 years I have not been able to share this fun tradition with my kids. Now they will get to enjoy the whole process! Even DD10 has volunteered to make pancakes for everyone at the supar bush!
I remember going and seeing it done when I was young on a school trip. I am so excited that my son is getting to go to one in our local area in a couple of weeks! I think it's part of being Canadian to see that.
ReplyDeleteYes! And eating taffy off the snow! Best.treat.ever.
DeleteNothing better then REAL maple syrup. I need to head over to the east coast and buy it by the gallon haha.
ReplyDeleteIt makes all the difference!
DeleteI can't wait! Our neighbours tap our trees every year and give us some. Nothing beats fresh Canadian Maple Syrup!
ReplyDeleteBesos, Sarah
Zookeeper at Journeys of The Zoo
journeysofthezoo at hotmail dot com
I remember field trips to the sugar bush as a kid and an ECE. it's usually so muddy but fun! it's surprising that they need soooo much sap for only one litre of syrup!
ReplyDeleteSo cool, I think we might make a trip to the sugar bush this year
ReplyDeleteWOW that is so cool you do this!!! I love visiting the sugar farms! One of my fav things to do this time of year!
ReplyDeleteOh, I want some maple syrup now! Too bad I only have the runny knock off stuff in our pantry :)
ReplyDelete