Maple syrup producers in the Algoma District were happy to see the unseasonably warm weather this week, and even Friday’s heaps of snow should be good for the start of syrup season.
Most producers have been collecting sap and boiling it down to syrup this week.
The large dump of snow coating the north could help the season last for longer this year.
“Right now we have 23,600 taps in, which means that we have another 3,900 taps to go before we’re fully tapped,” said Erica Hogan of Hogan’s Homestead.
“This season, we’ve got about 39 inches of snow that the team is trudging through to get those taps done. But we’ve already got about 12,000 gallons of sap collected just in this week alone -- regardless of this crazy weather we’re having.”
Last year saw an extremely early start, with many maple producers beginning their season in late January or early February.
Season started early
The near zero-degree weather seen this week allowed the season to get started a few weeks ahead of the typical busy season.
“The first little bit of warm weather we got … we were able to go find leaks and stuff in the in the lines that, you know when you’re tapping … you don’t find them,” said Luke Vine of Vine’s Maple Syrup.
“So that kind of helps us ... we do get a bigger run later on in the season.”
Maple syrup is one thing Canada has in excess that is found in smaller quantities south of the border.
Local producers are crossing their fingers in hopes that U.S. tariffs don’t have a large impact on their businesses.
“It’s uncertain times with the way things are right now,” said Kyle Gilbertson of Gilbertson’s Maple Products.
“We have to take it as it comes. We actually shipped a load of maple syrup out this morning to the United States … hopefully, to get ahead of any potential tariffs. But, you know, maple syrup is one of the commodities that Canada has more of than the United States.”
Maple syrup producers hope the temperatures stay just under freezing, but they expect the really busy season to run from mid-March to mid-April.
