The sweet goodness of maple syrup: Here's where to learn about and sample it
As the days start getting longer, sap begins to flow in maple trees, and it's time to celebrate the sweetness of maple syrup.
Those who would like to learn more about the history and science of maple sugaring in Ohio, and maybe get a taste of the final product along the way, have options throughout the Greater Columbus area in the next few weeks.
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Although it varies from year to year, traditionally, maple sugaring gets started in this area at the end of February, and winds up around the middle of March. Syrup enthusiasts can take part in local tours this weekend, and enjoy new ones during the next few weeks.
Sap has already started to flow in the sugar maples north of Columbus. Bonhomie Acres in Fredericktown has been tapping trees for four generations, and started transforming the sap into maple syrup on Feb. 12 this year.
How does this year look compared to other years?
“Ask me in six weeks!” said Dan Brown, one of the family farm's owners. “It's totally weather dependent. We have to have that alternating freezing and thawing, or the trees don't flow."
Closer to home, explorers can find several maple syrup events.
The Dawes Arboretum
Dawes Arboretum near Newark will hit the ground running with an adults-only event on Feb. 19, to be followed by public tours the following weekend.
Maple and Mischief will guide visitors down a lighted path for a leisurely 30- to 40-minute tour to learn about the history and science of maple sugaring,.
“We're thinking of this as a date night, close to Valentine's Day,” said Karla Long, director of learning and engagement at the Arboretum. “ We end at the cabin, which is a rustic, romantic setting. When they get there, there will a fire pit outside. People who are coming can bring chairs and sit around the fire.”
Outside the cabin, background music will be playing and lights will be hung around the cabin. There guests can enjoy maple-inspired appetizers and desserts as well as blueberry maple stout and blueberry maple pancake ale. A fire will be going inside the cabin as well, and old-time games will be available for guests to play.
Thirty-minute tours for the public will take place during the afternoons of Feb. 26 and 27, following the same route. Tours will leave from the Visitors' Center every 15 minutes from 1 to 3 p.m. Registration is not required for the public events.
(Maple and Mischief, 5 to 8 p.m. Feb. 19, $30, adults only. Maple syrup tours, 1 to 3 p.m. Feb. 26 and 27, free with admission. Admission: $10, or $5 for children 5 to 15, free for kids younger than 5. Dawes Arboretum, 7770 Jacksontown Road, near Newark. 740-323-2355, www.dawesarb.org)
Gallant Farm
Want to find out about how maple sugaring was done on a small farm 100 years ago? Check out the free program on Feb. 26-27 at Gallant Farm, which is part of the Preservations Parks system in Delaware.
“We only tap half a dozen trees or so, so we show how you might do it on a homestead scale,” said Gabe Ross, the farm manager. “We do it on a little evaporator we have over a brick oven. We show people how to do it and talk a little about it, and then we'll have samples.”
The rest of the farm, including the farmhouse and trails, will also be open for visitors to explore.
(Maple Syrup Weekend runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 26-27 at Gallant Farm, 2150 Buttermilk Hill Drive, Delaware. Admission is free. 740-524-8600, preservationparks.com)
Shepherd's Corner Ecology Center
If you have a group of up to 10 people who would enjoy an in-depth look at the process of making maple syrup, get in touch with Shepherd's Corner Ecology Center. Members of the center's staff will be leading two hour tours focusing on maple sugaring on their property. Check out everything about the process from tapping to boiling, and get a taste of the syrup produced there. Tours will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays, with Saturday tours possible. Call or check website for specific dates.
(Tours must be scheduled in advance and take place at Shepherd's Corner Ecology Center, 987 N. Waggoner Road, Blacklick. Cost: $60 for a group of up to 10 people. 614-866-4302, shepherdscorner.org)
Stratford Ecological Center
Sign up in advance for the Maple Celebration on March 5 at Stratford Ecological Center in Delaware, where admission is limited to avoid the possibility of guests getting stuck while parking in muddy fields. Check out the trees and the sugar shack and taste maple syrup, or feed the chickens and pet the baby lambs. Visit the greenhouse, or sip hot chocolate and munch maple cookies by the fire. The farm store will also be open, selling real maple syrup and other goodies.
(The celebration takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 5 at Stratford Ecological Center, 3083 Liberty Road, Delaware. Pre-registration for specified arrival times is required. Admission: $10, free for children 2 and younger. 740-363-2548, stratfordecologicalcenter.org)
Camp Lazarus
Take in a full day of maple-related activities as well as other events at Maple Fest on March 5 and 12 at Camp Lazarus in Delaware. Volunteers have placed 750 taps in trees, most with one tap per tree, with a few older maples taking two. They use a classic bucket system, and boil the sap down in their sugar shack.
Visitors can check out the sugar shack, learn how to make rope or build fires, or shoot BB guns on a designated range, among other hands-on activities. A pancake feast will be served all day, bean soup and cornbread will be available for purchase, and visitors can buy maple syrup produced at the camp.
“It's just a bunch of family fun outside,” said Sara English, the event chairperson.
(The Maple Fest will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 5 and 12 at Camp Lazarus, 4422 Columbus Pike, Delaware. Free shuttles will run from Columbus State Community College Delaware campus, 5100 Cornerstone Drive, Delaware. Admission is $15 at the door. The pancake breakfast costs $5, and bean soup and cornbread is $2. 740-548-5502, skcscouts.org/event/2022-maple-fest/)
Alley Park
The local maple sugaring season will wind up with a Maple Tapping Festival on March 12 at Lancaster's Alley Park.
The event includes demonstrations, stations explaining the history of maple sugaring in the United States, crafts for kids and a pancake breakfast.
This year, the pancake breakfast will spread out from its usual home in the Nature Center to an additional area, a heated tent in the parking lot, to allow for more distance between tables.
A local vendor will sell maple syrup, and another will sell maple-flavored kettle corn.
Although the event doesn't take place until March 12, the trees are already tapped and the sap is flowing, and visitors to Alley Park can see the system at work.
“We have buckets on some of the trees, but we also have tubing, so gravity brings the sap down to the sugar shack,” said Trina Thornton, outdoor education and special events coordinator for the park. “We're already filtering the syrup and cooking it down. You need to have warm days so the sap will flow and then colder evenings, so the next few weeks look pretty good.”
(The Maple Tapping Festival will take place from 8 to 11 a.m. March 12 at Alley Park, 2805 Old Logan Road SE, Lancaster. Admission is free. Pancake breakfast: $5. 740-681-5025, lancasterparks.com)
Maple by the numbers
Here are some fun facts about maple syrup in Ohio from the Ohio Maple Producers Association website:
? 35-45 gallons of sap = 1 gallon of syrup
? 2%-3%: Sugar content of sap
? 66%: Sugar content of syrup
? 1-3: Number of taps per tree
? 3-4: Number of taps per gallon of syrup
? 1 gallon of syrup = 11 pounds
? 1 gallon of syrup yields 7-8 lbs of maple sugar
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Want to know how to make maple syrup? Check out these Columbus events
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