After a wet and dreary January its great to look forward to spring and the taste of fresh maple syrup. We will start tapping around the 17th of February and should be finished by the 25th. According to Wiarton Willy it should be an early spring so we need to be ready.
The big change this year is that for the first time we will be tapping some of the trees in our maple plantation that were planted in 1991. Trees should be 25cm in diameter for tapping and we have measured about 30 that meet this criteria with several more that will be ready in a year or two. There are about 450 trees in the plantation and eventually when all are tapped they will make a nice addition to our sugar bush.
In those dreary days in January there was nothing to do but write some rhymes about making maple syrup. This is a poem about making maple syrup using the more modern equipment.
The snow was gently falling
as we headed to the bush.
It’s warmer in the forecast
so it’s tapping with a rush.
Now tapping is a chore,
each tree must have its tap
connected to its pipeline
to collect the flowing sap.
Snowshoes are mighty handy
when deep snow is on the ground,
but not so good in bushes
when you have to turn around.
There is a lot of equipment
that has to work just right,
when things don’t go as planned
means working half the night.
Finally it’s over!
The trees are all tapped in.
The equipment all is humming
and we’re ready to begin.
To make our syrup the modern way
we flick a switch or two
and watch the golden nectar
come flowing out to you.
The taste of fresh made syrup,
that flavour can’t be beat,
s’worth all the fuss and bother
to get that special treat.
When all the syrup’s in the can
we’ve still got much to do.
There’s all the washing up
and cleaning through and through.
We’ve toiled away for hours
and our energy is spent.
We’ve had a bumper season,
but I’m awfully glad it’s “went”.
Ray Fortune
Fortune Farms 