Strong start to maple syrup season in the northeast

A sweet sign that spring is on the horizon in northern Ontario is the maple-tapping season.

The holes are drilled, sap squirts out, then it's boiled and turned into "liquid gold" in the form of maple syrup.

Buckets collect sap from maple trees in Powassan which is used to make syrup. Mar. 19/22 (Eric Taschner/CTV Northern Ontario)

Over the last few days, local producers have started collecting tree sap and boiling it to make syrup for customers.

Maple tree tapped for sap to make syrup. Mar. 19/22 (Eric Taschner/CTV Northern Ontario)

"It's been a very good start," said Dave Matthews, the co-owner of Matthews Maple Syrup in Powassan. "Three days ago was when we made our first batch of syrup. We made five barrels that day, six yesterday and we're hoping for quite a few today."

Matthews, his wife Audrey and daughter Jenny have 12,000 trees filled with sap.

And as COVID-19 restrictions ease, families flock to the farm for wagon tours of the "sugar bush."

Last year's maple syrup season was quite slow for producers he said, as a quick melt meant a much shorter season

"It was one of our poorer years and it was across the whole province," Matthews said. "We were down about 70 per cent of our crop compared to normal."

Just down the road, the sap is also flowing at Bella Hill Maple and owners Dan and Lori Costello are starting on a high note.

"A cooler April would be good. We need that cooler weather at night," Lori said. "You need about 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup. We generally start with 3,400 gallons of sap."

Under normal circumstances, the Municipality of Powassan would hold a large maple syrup festival. It's not running this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Instead, more than 70 sugar bushes across Ontario will participate in what's called 'Maple Weekend'  April 2 and 3.

Bella Hill Maple Syrup is one of several local producers taking part.

"Different producers are opening their doors. Maple Weekend gives you a tour of sugar bushes and you learn how maple syrup is made," Lori said. "I'm told that the local syrup is better than store-bought syrup. We can justify that with the awards that this area has won at the Royal Winter Fair."

Matthews said it's the locally-bottled maple syrup that brings customers, who are looking for that sweet flavour, to the door.

"We have good-flavoured maple syrup in our area," he chuckled. "There's no doubt about it."