GETTIN’ STICKY WITH IT: Local maple syrup season begins in earnest

GETTIN’ STICKY WITH IT: Local maple syrup season begins in earnest
From left Dara Laframboise

CORNWALL, Ontario – Can you smell that? It’s the distinctive aroma of maple syrup and the season has started.

Big time.

Scott Coleman, co-owner of the Sand Road Sugar Camp north of Cornwall, said the warm days that began a week or so ago have led to a deluge of sap running into his maple syrup production facility.

Already more than 7,600 litres of sap has been boiled into sweet, sticky maple syrup at the sugar camp.

“It’s already started coming in,” he said, adding the sap flow has slowed a bit in recent days, because the cold nights that are typically associated with March have become decidedly mild. “It’s not gangbusters like it was.

“But later this month it’s supposed to go back to that (pattern) of warm days and cold nights.”

Indeed that is the best time for maple syrup producers to collect sap, which is boiled to create one of Canada’s best known exports.

Coleman said his operation has begun boiling sap as early as the end of February, and as late as April.

March, pardon the pun, is definitely the sweet spot.

“Any time you can boil sap in March, I’d say it is pretty normal,” Coleman added. “I think this is going to be a good year.”

Things are expected to be crazy at area sugar bushes this weekend. Forecasts suggest sunny skies and high temperatures measured at 10C or better for both Saturday and Sunday.

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