Sweet Treats of Spring
Make a visit to New Brunswick in the spring and you’re sure to find lots of sugar camps to satisfy your sweet tooth! The province currently ranks 3rd in the world in maple syrup production, an active industry since the aboriginal people first taught settlers how to tap maple trees and boil down the sap.
The main syrup-producing trees are sugar maples, red maples and silver maples. Depending on weather, production can start as early as the end of February, and occurs mainly in March and April. During the maple sugaring season an average tree yields approximately 40 litres of sap, which will produce one litre of maple syrup.
A small hole is drilled into the maple tree and a hollow tube or spigot is inserted, allowing the sap to drip into buckets or plastic pipes. Modern use of plastic tubing with a partial vacuum has enabled increased production.
The runs earliest in the spring are the best quality. The best "sugaring" weather is clear, with days above freezing, nights below freezing and snow on the ground. Syrup made late in the season is dark, and the resulting flavour is not as good. The whole process must be done as quickly as possible. Too much time in storage can induce fermentation in the sap, and too much time boiling can also reduce quality. Usually the whole process from any batch of sap finishes in syrup within a few hours.
The New Brunswick Maple Association's website offers more information on the production process, nutritional facts as well as maple-rich recipes.
Maple syrup is boiled to create maple cream, maple butter, maple sugar and translucent candy, which may be poured on snow to harden for eating at the site.
Sweet Treats of Spring
Make a visit to New Brunswick in the spring and you’re sure to find lots of sugar camps to satisfy your sweet tooth! The province currently ranks 3rd in the world in maple syrup production, an active industry since the aboriginal people first taught settlers how to tap maple trees and boil down the sap.
The main syrup-producing trees are sugar maples, red maples and silver maples. Depending on weather, production can start as early as the end of February, and occurs mainly in March and April. During the maple sugaring season an average tree yields approximately 40 litres of sap, which will produce one litre of maple syrup.
A small hole is drilled into the maple tree and a hollow tube or spigot is inserted, allowing the sap to drip into buckets or plastic pipes. Modern use of plastic tubing with a partial vacuum has enabled increased production.
The runs earliest in the spring are the best quality. The best "sugaring" weather is clear, with days above freezing, nights below freezing and snow on the ground. Syrup made late in the season is dark, and the resulting flavour is not as good. The whole process must be done as quickly as possible. Too much time in storage can induce fermentation in the sap, and too much time boiling can also reduce quality. Usually the whole process from any batch of sap finishes in syrup within a few hours.
The New Brunswick Maple Association's website offers more information on the production process, nutritional facts as well as maple-rich recipes.
Maple syrup is boiled to create maple cream, maple butter, maple sugar and translucent candy, which may be poured on snow to harden for eating at the site.