Did you know it takes 30 to 40 litres of maple tree sap to make a single litre of maple syrup? That’s a lot of sap and a lot of time spent tapping trees.
Unfortunately for farmers, it’s not always easy to predict how long each maple syrup season will last or how much sap they’ll be able to collect over the season.
Unusually warm weather last January and February led to earlier-than-normal tapping of maple trees, while this winter’s cold weather suggests a more traditional maple syrup season — although nothing is certain when it comes to the weather these days.
“Like the rest of farming, it’s mother nature and you have no control over that,” says Jill Staples of Staples Maple Syrup, located between Cavan and Bethany.
Founded in 1973, the award-winning producer is a member of the Ontario Maple Syrup Producers Association. The farm began with Jill’s husband, Robert, making maple syrup in a cast iron pot with his father in the 1960s and has, over the years, turned into a full family business with the help of their children.
Today, the Staples have three sugar bush areas with 3,500 trees they will tap for the 3,500 litres of sap they will collect on average in a given year. This year, however, it might be a few weeks still before the Staples are collecting sap.
For trees to be suitable to start tapping, the sap must begin to flow which only happens when the weather fluctuates enough that temperatures are above zero in the daytime, but still below freezing at night. The fluctuation causes a build-up of pressure in the sapwood, causing the sap to run.
While this typically happens between February and April in Ontario, sometimes it can happen earlier — as was the case last year, when Staples Maple Syrup produced its first batch of maple syrup on January 30th.
“Our son who’s more involved now just thought we need to start tapping because the temperatures were going up,” she says, noting it didn’t last more than a few days before drying up again. “Several people didn’t have a good amount last year because they missed those first few really good runs.”
Jill says last year was the earliest they’d ever tapped, more than two weeks earlier than the previous record of February 14. Part of the job, she explains, is having to be flexible and “watch the signs.”
“You can just tell things are changing,” she says. “There’s a smell in the air, the crows start cawing more.”
While the sudden warm spells last winter meant producers tapped trees earlier than usual, this also shortened the timeframe for sap collection and ultimately meant a smaller yield for the season.
This year’s maple syrup season is promising to be more typical, according to the Ontario Maple Syrup Producers’ Association. Consistent below-freezing temperatures at night followed by gradually warming temperatures during the day will allow for a more traditional maple syrup season running from late March to early April.
In addition, the large amount of snow that fell this winter will provide moisture for trees while also moderating daytime temperatures during warm spells, preventing the sap from flowing too quickly.
However, that could all change if there’s a sudden warming trend and Ontario experiences an early spring.
“If it warms up too quickly, the run could be very intense and very short, so that’s the other thing we don’t know,” she says. “You never know from one year to the next what the quantity’s going to be like or what your sap is going to be like.”
Tapping too late into the spring, when the buds are beginning to swell, could result in sap that is more bitter rather than sweet. Jill notes this is often a “fine line,” and can result in sap that comes out very dark and milky.
In the Kawarthas region, maple syrup season kicks off with the 37th annual Warkworth Maple Syrup Festival, taking place on Saturday, March 8 and Sunday, March 9. During the weekend, you can hop on a free shuttle to Sandy Flat Sugar Bush for a day filled with pancake breakfasts, horse and wagon rides, sugaring-off tours, maple taffy making, live entertainment, and nature trails. Admission costs $5 per person.
The fun doesn’t stop when you get back to Warkworth Village, as there will be a vendor sale, a beer garden, indoor mini golf, the storybook walk, and more live entertainment. All proceeds for the event go to the Warkworth Community Service Club. Visit warkworthmaplesyrupfestival.ca for more information.
The sweet celebrations will continue into Maple Weekend, which is held on the first weekend in April every year. Taking place on April 5 and 6 this year, Maple Weekend sees many producers inviting guests to see how the syrup is made and giving out free samples of fresh maple syrup and maple-based confections.
Back for the 28th year, the Sunderland Maple Syrup Festival will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on both days. Located 30 kilometres east of Lindsay in Durham Region, the festival includes tour buses to Salem Alpaca Farm and Harlaine Maple Products, where visitors can see how maple syrup is made using modern practices.
Other activities over the weekend include pony rides, a petting zoo, bouncy castles, maple leaf painting contest, bathtub races, and live music and entertainment. For more information, visit maplesyrupfestival.ca.
As for Staples Maple Syrup, they will be hosting an open house on Sunday, April 6. Visitors can get a tour of the equipment, watch the boiling process, and sample some fresh maple products.
“We’ve always felt it very important for people to know where their food comes from,” Jill says.
Maple syrup producers in the Kawarthas region who are participating in Maple Weekend are listed below.
- Clancey & Gale’s Maple Products (542 Waite Road West, Pontypool, 705-277-9420, gclavender@outlook.com)
- Johnston’s Farm Market (10704 Northumberland County Road 28, Bailieboro, 705-939-1737, johnfarm@nexicom.net)
- Rainbow Woods (65 Ripley’s Way, Kirkfield, 705-454-3167, paulreed@xplornet.com)
- Colour of Wood (1255 Peterson Rd, Minden, 249-993-0134, colourofwood@gmail.com)
- Waverley Brook Farm (6359 Gelert Road, Haliburton, 705-457-2214, gjtyler1912@gmail.com)
- Sweet Maple Farm (10010 Powerline Rd, Millbrook, 705-932-2418, rjmbcripley@nexicom.net)
- Red Mill Maple Syrup (1232 Deyell Line, Millbrook, 705-927-6376, redmillmaplesyrup@gmail.com)
- Woodleigh Farms (528 Sharpe Line, Cavan, 705 -761-2063, woodleighfarms@gmail.com)
- J & K Sugar Shack (3804 Challice Line, Millbrook, 705-932-2817, jjcampfirewood@nexicom.net)
- Puddleduck Farm (476 County Rd 10, Millbrook, 705-931-5794, puddleduckfarm@nexicom.net)
- Staples Maple Syrup (403 Hwy 7A, Cavan, 705-933-8295, staplesmaplesyrup@outlook.com)
For more information about Maple Weekend, visit mapleweekend.ca
