Last weekend I visited Crystal Rock, Ontario, for my first maple syrup harvesting experience. This is a family-run operation led by Uncle Brian. As far as I know the syrup that Brian produces doesn’t go beyond the Lawless family so I felt very lucky to enjoy several fresh samples. A quick summary of how the maple syrup process works:
– Maple trees are strategically “tapped” and hanging metallic buckets catch/collect the flowing sap
– The sap (which in its original state looks exactly like water) is collected and transported to a boiling facility known as a “Sugar Shack” or “Sugar House”
– The sap is boiled in a particular manner that only Uncle Brian understands
– After the appropriate boiling length the sap gains a higher concentration and turns into what you normally see on store shelves – syrup
– The syrup then goes through some filtering, bottling, etc.
There’s nothing more exciting than the changing of the seasons. I love how maple syrup production falls right on the border between winter and spring. A very exciting time of year.
