Harvesting Maple Syrup in Canada

Harvesting maple syrup from trees in Canada is a fun pastime many take part in during the winter months. Maple syrup is usually made from the sap of sugar maple, red maple or black maple trees. It can be done only after the winter because the syrup is stored in the trunks and roots. It can be harvested and then made into syrup that can be used as a topping for dishes. There is a particular method to harvesting the syrup straight from the tree and turning it into the syrup we use.

There are two different ways to harvest syrup. The traditional method is to use a tool that pokes into the tree trunk and then let the syrup collect into a bucket. The more modern technique is to use modern tubing that is more efficient and makes less of a mess. Any maple tree measuring 8 inches in diameter or more can be tapped. There can be a maximum of three tappings on one tree based on the diameter.

After it’s harvested, the syrup is transported to a sugar house. At that location, people boil down the syrup into edible maple syrup. At this point, the syrup is ready to go. For any other products that use maple syrup, the syrup is further boiled to the necessary temperature for the product. Harvesting maple syrup is a great activity to add to an agenda in Canada. Not only is it fun, it’s also rewarding because you can leave with syrup to take home.