Brian Bartley representing the Haliburton-Kawartha local of the Ontario Maple Syrup Producers' Association drills a hole in a maple tree on the property of Wendy and Rick Wood in Carnarvon on Saturday March 10. The ” first=” tapping”=” kicked=” off=” this=” year’s=” maple=” syrup=” season.=” bartley=” lives=” in=” norland.=” jenn=” watt=” staff”= By Jenn Watt
Published March 15 2018
Rick and Wendy Wood have been making maple syrup on their Carnarvon property for the last four years producing about 400 litres of the sweet stuff annually.
On Saturday their property hosted the annual “first tapping ceremony” marking the beginning of the syrup season for the Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes chapter of the Ontario Maple Syrup Producers’ Association.
When he retired Rick said he decided he’d like to get into the syrup business.
“Why make thousands when you can make hundreds” he joked.
Each of the 400 taps on the property produces about a litre of syrup by the time all of the sleepless nights trudging through snow and boiling of sap are done. The ratio of sap to syrup is about 40:1.
During the warm spell at the end of February the sap began running early.
Making syrup is a labour of love all of the producers gathered on Saturday agreed.
You can find syrup from the Woods’ property called The Colour of Wood at Rails End Gallery in Haliburton Sassy Digs in Minden and soon in Abbey Gardens on Highway 118.
