![]() Like most wind-dispersed seeds, the majority of keys will fall in unfavourable conditions and be wasted. The maple has a few strategies to ensure its success. If the seeds don’t get out from under the tree, they won’t have a chance. Getting away from the mother maple is especially important for the maple keys because maples have one of the largest and widest tree canopies. The seeds of this wildflower may lie dormant in the soil for years until a fire sweeps through, creating excellent conditions for germination. Some seeds, like those of the blazing star, wait for the right conditions, allowing time to pass until the environment changes. The black walnut uses this kind of getaway strategy. Some seeds take the form of a heavy round fruit or nut that depends on gravity and slope to roll it away. Some seeds are self-propelled as in the case of the wild lupine with its exploding seedpod that launches the seeds up to five metres away when it pops open. Some seeds, like those contained in berries, are eaten on the spot and then deposited elsewhere after making their way through the animal’s digestive system. Some seeds, such as acorns, are so delicious and nutritious that animals take them away to winter storage but don’t always remember where. Some, such as the tick trefoil pod, hitch a ride on animals or humans by attaching to fur and clothing. Some are carried away on water, as is the case of the water lily fruit that floats along and then sinks to the pond bottom to take root. Some are shaped to ride away on the wind, such as the maple key. There are lots of ways that seeds distance themselves from their parent and many can be seen in High Park. Pour your hard-earned syrup onto pancakes and enjoy! Alternately, you can also store it in sterilized bottles or jars, but we think you deserve a sweet reward after all that hard work, don’t you? The Maple Syrup Festival at Bronte Creek Provincial Park is open March 3-4, 10-18, 24-25, and 30 (9:00 am – 3:00 pm).Showy tick-trefoil seeds. While the syrup is still warm, filter it through a piece of clean cheesecloth to remove natural sediments. This is a sticky business – if you’re boiling more than 10 L on your kitchen stove, the steam from your sap could literally peel the wallpaper off your walls. Place the sap in a pot and bring to a roiling boil until it reaches 103.8☌. Remember to remove the spile with the back of your hammer once you are done collecting sap for the season. Since sap has a relatively low concentration of sugar (at least compared to syrup!), you will need to collect quite a bit of sap: 40 L of sap will boil down to roughly 1 L of syrup. Store your sap in a refrigerator until you’re ready to boil it down to syrup. Hang the sap bucket on the hook attached to the spile and let nature work its magic! Step #8Ĭheck your bucket every day sap left in the bucket for multiple warm days can spoil. Don’t pound it in – you need to be able to remove the spile when the season is over so the tree can seal the hole. Insert the spile and tap it gently for a snug fit. Step #5ĭrill a hole 5-8 cm into the tree at waist height, slanting slightly upwards to allow gravity to help with the sap flow. Step #4Īssemble your maple tool kit! You’ll need a drill, a maple spile, a hammer and a sap bucket. The maple syrup season ends when the buds on the twigs begin to open any sap collected after this point will leave a bitter aftertaste. ![]() The sap flow begins when daytime temperatures reach above 0☌ and overnight lows still dip below. The tree must be 25.4+ cm in diameter for you to put one tap in it, 45 cm for two taps, and 60 cm for three taps. Measure around the tree at about shoulder height (1.5 m). Just like humans need to be a certain age to give blood, maple trees need to be mature before you can remove sap without harming the tree. And, of course, make sure you have permission to tap the tree if it’s not on your property. Take a close look at the leaves, seeds and bark to identify the tree. While you can make syrups from many types of trees, you need a Sugar Maple ( Acer Saccharum) to make the maple syrup everyone knows and loves. ![]() This might seem obvious, but it’s the most important step: find a maple tree! Not just any maple tree will do. Here’s how to make your own delicious maple syrup: With a few simple steps and tools, you can bring that history home with you. It’s that time of year again, when the sweet sounds of spring fill Bronte Creek Provincial Park: the twittering of returning songbirds, the laughter of visitors strolling through the woods, and the plink! plink! plink! of sugar maple sap dripping into a maple bucket.Ī visit to the Maple Syrup Festival walks you through the full history and process of making Canada’s favourite sweet syrup. ![]() This blog comes from Cathy Entwhistle, a Senior Park Interpreter at Bronte Creek Provincial Park. ![]()
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