Story & Photos by Rick Gorski.

After nearly 4 weeks of collecting maple sap daily from his trees Grant poses in his home with some of the syrup produced. (See our previous post of Grant collecting the sap) Grant explains that the ideal conditions for the sap to run are when the overnight temperature drops below zero degrees Celsius and rises above freezing during the daytime under bright sunny skies. The sun is a big factor for large yields. Grant’s daily records indicate that there were three periods when these ideal conditions occurred and on one occasion a bucket overflowed. Interpreting the daily weather, Grant would often check his trees several times a day. The sap must be filtered before and as it is processed to produce a clear syrup. It requires about 40 litres of sap to produce 1 litre of maple syrup. The syrup produced at the beginning of the season is lighter in colour than the syrup made at the end of the season but as Grant testifies it all has the same wonderful sweet maple taste.