The collection of sap from maple trees has begun, and while the up and down temperatures, with deeper freezes at night, might be slowing the process, it’s exciting to see the steam coming from the sugar shacks, knowing the tasty treat that awaits.
Sap from maple trees is the first harvest of the year for farmers that are part of the Ontario Maple Syrup Producers’ Association or for those that collect the sweet water from the trees for their own consumption. But the weather needs to cooperate, say local producers, with temperatures ranging between minus five degrees at night and plus five degrees during the day, reaching that high before noon or even better by 9:00 am. So far this year, the start has been later in the season and slower, with some producers collecting half the amount of sap this year compared to previous years. Warren MacIntosh, from Glengarry Stock Farms and The Ole Sugar Barn, sums up the slow start to the season saying, “This has been an old-fashioned winter and thus, this may have been more normal 75 years ago.”
Maple trees create sugar in the summertime which allows the trees to grow, breath through their open cells and store starch. The starch is converted to sugar and dissolves into sap, which is drawn up from the root system, remaining frozen through the winter. When the temperatures begin to alternate between warmer days and cooler nights, the freeze and thaw create pressure where, within a short window of approximately four weeks, producers collect the sap and boil it into syrup.
Generally, maple syrup producers expect three colour distinctions in the boiled sap, with the earlier sap collected becoming a lighter, golden syrup. Amber coloured syrup is generally used for pancakes, and the darker syrup is often used for cooking purposes with a slightly less sweet, more robust taste, despite the sugar levels of 67 per cent being the same in all maple syrup. Karen Bedard, Executive Director for the Ontario Maple Syrup Producers’ Association said that one maple tree can produce up to 90 litres of sap each year, which seems like a lot, but it takes 40 litres of sweet water to produce one litre of maple syrup.
Near the end of maple season, as the tree gets set to bud, it produces a “buddy sap” which isn’t suitable for maple syrup. Up until recently, producers had no way to know if the sap collected was buddy sap; however, Carleton University student, Shahad Abdulmawjood, created a test strip to detect unsuitable sap and let collectors know the season was finished.
Sugar Maples are exclusive to a relatively small area that includes the Maritimes, Ontario and Quebec. The Ontario Maple Syrup Producers’ Association says the industry is growing with new people venturing into producing maple syrup, along with expanding, creative ways of using maple syrup in glazes, wine & alcohol, nectar and as a concentrate. Reverse osmosis in maple sap allows 50-75% of the water to be removed mechanically, which shortens boiling time and increases sugar concentrations. Methods of storing the collected sap in cooled storage tanks is also allowing producers to harvest sap, but permitting the boil to take place as needed. Additionally, agri-tourism has seen establishments set up opportunity for visitors to camp at farms during maple season. These ideas bring together new innovations with the values of a traditional industry, offering new directions for maple producers.
The maple syrup industry is dependent upon the sugar maple tree that makes the best syrup. Advocates for the industry, such as Karen Bedard, worry about the clear-cutting that is taking place across so much of Ontario. Without doubt, the loss of the sugar maple bushes will negatively affect the amount of sap that can be collected. Concern for losing maple trees is also brought to the forefront with the plans for the Alto high-speed train running from Montreal to Ottawa and onto Toronto. While the final corridor for the train is still to be decided, pipelines through the sugar maple bush cannot be divided and maple producers need to know their properties will not be split on either side of a fenced in railway track.
