Maple Syrup Festival
Today was a sunny day, perfect for exploring the Maple Syrup Festival in Sunderland. I went with some friends and their daughter. The dogs, of course had a blast meeting tons of other dogs. And yes, I picked up a liter of the stuff (why wouldn't you?!) 🍁🥞👅😋 I never go a week without enjoying this sweet liquid gold. It's the perfect topping for my weekend pancakes, and for an evening treat. I love dipping bread into it.
This woman told me her doctor told her to drink some everyday day when she was fighting something. Low and behold, it worked! Never under estimate the sweetness of Maple Syrup!
If you have a grump in your life, give them a bottle of this liquid gold - it will sweeten them up faster than you can say "maple syrup!"
Did you know maple syrup season is this amazing but super brief time in spring? It happens when warm days meet cool nights, creating that perfect temperature fluctuation. That's when the magic happens - the trees pull water up from the ground and mix it with all those sweet sugars they stored up last summer!
It's fascinating to think that a Maple tree needs to be at least 40 years old before it's ready for tapping. Professional syrup producers rotate tap locations each year to give the tree time to heal - it's all about keeping things sustainable, you know?
As these trees grow bigger over the years, they can eventually support up to four taps in each one. And don't worry - when done right, tapping doesn't hurt the trees at all! Some of these maple veterans have been producing sap for over a century! My cousins who are in their '70s make maple syrup and have shared so many stories about trees that have been tapped longer than they've been alive.
The remarkable thing is how much work goes into making that delicious syrup. Producers boil down 40 liters of sap just to get ONE liter of syrup! That's because the sap starts at only about 2.5% sugar, but by the time it becomes syrup, it's concentrated to about 66.6%.
In Ontario, maple syrup is graded by color and flavor. The lighter stuff is perfect for drizzling on pancakes, while the darker, more robust syrup is amazing in baking. And if you're craving maple sugar, candy, or that heavenly maple cream? That's just what happens when the syrup is boiled even more!
You can always tell when the season's over - once the evenings stay warm and the trees start budding, the sap turns bitter and that's a wrap! Oh, and fun fact - maple syrup doesn't freeze solid like water does. Cool, right?
If you excuse me, I'm going to now eat some of this liquid gold for desert.
