Warm winter weather has it looking like spring outdoors and, while it’s not quite here yet, maple syrup season is. Many sugar bushes across the region are taping in to some sweet production.
“It’s beginning. We are tapping now,” says Fulton's Sugar Bush and Maple Shop owner Shirley Fulton-Duego. “Usually it was always the third week of March but now it’s earlier, the second week of March.”
Fulton-Duego says while the warmer than usual winter has seen some maple syrup producers already starting up production, they will wait to start draining the trees. With cooler temperatures on the way, it’s not worth the risk of filling the some 30 kilometers of lines with sap, which is mostly water, and having it freeze.
The sweet spot for making maple syrup is between -5 C and 5 C. But erratic temperatures work both ways, it’s also important that it does not get too warm, too quickly.
“We don’t want plus 10 or plus 15 because then that makes the trees think maybe sap season is over,” says Fulton-Duego. “I get asked if this year is going to be a good one and I say my crystal ball is dusty I can’t get the dust off it. Call me back in May and I’ll be able to tell you exactly what kind of season we had. We usually produce about a litre per tap and we have about 5,000 taps.”
While production may not have started yet, the sugar bush is now open to visitors and there is plenty to do, like eat maple taffy. All that warm, ooey-gooey goodness, poured over the snow and wrapped around a wooden stick is a favourite treat for all ages at Fulton’s.
There are also horse-drawn rides through the forest, a variety of walking and ski trails, and a large shop which offers all things maple syrup, like hot sauces, mustards, jams, butter and sugar.
New this year, a syrup-tasting bar, where maple connoisseurs of all ages can sample some sweet creations infused with flavours like vanilla bean, chocolate, cinnamon, hot pepper and coconut.
Fulton’s Sugar Bush & Maple Shop is open daily from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Packenham, about 45 minutes west of Ottawa.
