How it all works

When you arrive we will already have the evaporator running at full operating temperature and ready to go but still plan on spending about four hours at Stonebriar Farm to complete your Maple Syrup. The first step is the one everyone knows - gathering the sap. We'll set everyone up with collection pails, give some tips and advice, then turn you loose on the sugarbush. Once 100 litres of maple sap have been collected we're ready to start boiling it all down to syrup. 100 litres of sap will boil down to about 2 1/2 litres of finished syrup and take about three hours to finish. During this boiling time we will show you how to maintain the levels in each pan along with firing the evaporator, share all kinds of maple information, demonstrations, examples, and even taste tests. It's during the boiling stage that we will also make maple taffy on snow and tell you how you can make it at home ( I could never figure it out as a kid ).

Once all of your collected sap has been added to the boiling pans our next step is to adjust the final density of your syrup. It's at this point that we start watching very closely and test sugar content regularly. When the syrup is finally ready we will pour it off through a wool filter and into canner where you can start filling the six decorative bottles you've selected. A small sample will be taken so that you can grade the syrup based on Ontario guidelines and several more samples for everyone to taste before getting home. We'll cover labeling requirements, proper packaging, and give you all the advice you need if you have access to maple trees and want to start making your own syrup at home. The only things you will need to bring are appropriate clothing and footwear for the time of year... and a good sense of humour always helps.