Visit to a Family Maple Syrup Farm in Quebec

Recently a friend went to work on a family Maple Syrup farm in southern Quebec, a Canadian eastern province with much history and tradition. It was interesting to learn more about where our delicious world famous Canadian Maple Syrup is grown and the traditions around the harvesting in the Springtime. Here is some information about the harvest and processing of our delicious Canadian export:

Maple Trees mainly in Quebec provide world renowned Maple Syrup

Maple Syrup Background

When the first settlers arrived in Canada in the 1600's the Indigenous peoples of North America were already processing sap for their own use such as cooking venison
They shared their knowledge of tree tapping with the first settlers
The better syrup comes from the sap of the red or black maple trees
Syrup must be 100% sap to be authentic with no added ingredients

The Maple Syrup Harvest

In March and April each year it is a tradition to harvest the rich sap from the Red Maple Trees in Eastern Canada, It is made from xylem sap which "runs" in the Spring when it is harvested... a brief outline of the process -

All harvest is done by hand, starting with holes drilled in the maple tree trunks
A Spout is placed in each hole
Buckets are traditionally hung on the spouts to collect sap
The sap is collected and placed in a large wood fired evaporator in the Sugar Shack. Traditionally the sap was collected by workers in horse drawn sleighs but today many use tractors
The sap in the evaporator is boiled all day
The liquid is then transferred to a smaller pot and continued to boil until the water is evaporated and the correct specific gravity is reached (tested with hydrometer)
The syrup is then transferred, while still very hot, into jars and sealed
Today many small family farms sell 100% pure maple syrup from a "sugar shack"

Notes about Maple Syrup

Maple trees should be about 40 years of age before being tapped but they can live 100 to 200 years
Mature maple tree produces 20 to 25 gallons of sap per season and 40 to 50 gallons of sap makes about 1 gallon of maple syrup
71% of pure syrup globally is from Canada and 91% of the syrup is from Quebec
A red maple leaf has been the symbol on the Canada flag for 100 years
In Quebec alone there are 13,700 family maple syrup farms. This is not including other Eastern provinces such Ontario, Novia Scotia

Some of the Health Benefits of Maple Syrup

..."Maple syrup contains many natural antioxidants. Several newly identified antioxidant compounds found in maple syrup are also reported to have anti-cancer, anti-bacterial, and anti-diabetic properties. Maple syrup also contains anti-inflammatory compounds.
~ Acadian Maple Syrup

Boiling the maple sap in the Sugar Shack

Some of the maple syrup farms have been handed down for generations since the 1600's and many farmers today produce maple syrup using the same methods of their ancestors centuries ago. The original farmhouse where are friend stayed was built in the mid 1800's.

In closing, Maple Syrup from Quebec, La Belle Province - it's simply the best in the world! Travel Canada for your next holiday and plan a trip to Quebec and back East next Spring and enjoy harvest time. Au revoir ...