ONmaplesyrup

This past week has been very busy in many maple producing regions across the province.  Earliest regions are finished for the year, while mid and late-season areas were still in full production.  It has been a good production season so far for many producers.

Although winter started off with odd mild weather that made many people wonder about the maple syrup season, it was a reminder that we need to be patient, not jump to conclusions on the productivity of the season until start-to-finish has actually happened. With each maple syrup season, we never know the final crop yield or syrup quality until bud growth dictates that it is finished.  We aren’t done yet. Continue reading →

Maple syrup production in Ontario is underway in all regions. Good sap flow was reported in many areas of the province early this past week followed by a temporary freeze up.  The quality and flavour of syrup is reported exceptionally nice this spring and all colour grades are now available.

Plan to visit a Local sugar bush to taste fresh Ontario maple syrup, or take part in the upcoming province-wide Maple Weekend activities, first weekend of April. The forecasted sap flow weather is looking very promising in the coming week and should keep syrup producers very busy. Continue reading →

The past week summary

In southern areas this past week, large volumes of clear sap ran early in the week from hard maples and soft maples with no buddy off-flavours detected yet. Sap sugar concentration has trended downward as would be expected during the latter half of the processing season.  Soft maple: 1.5 ⁰Brix, hard maple: 1.6 to 1.8 ⁰Brix.  In central areas, sap sugar ranged widely from 1.7 to 2.4 ⁰Brix.

Syrup colour is Golden and Amber with excellent maple flavour and high quality. There are average and above average amounts of sugar sand but no reports of difficulties with filtering syrup. Continue reading →

The past two weeks

The 2017 maple syrup crop so far is reported to be of very fine quality with rich maple flavour.  Syrup producers in early southwest regions report 50 to 75 percent of a syrup crop has been processed so far with more fresh sap to come.  Mid-season areas report 10 to 25 percent syrup crop so far.  There will be many opportunities to visit local area syrup producers to see and taste pure maple syrup and value-added maple products.

For the week beginning February 20, in southern regions sap flow was reported moderate early in the week allowing producers who were tapped a chance to boil syrup. Continue reading →

Sap flow and syrup processing update

A few maple syrup producers in early areas of Southwestern Ontario and Prince Edward County have completed tapping their sugar bush now, many are in the process of installing taps.  One or two sap flows are reported earlier this week and new syrup has been processed .  The sap sugar content ranges from 2.0 to 2.5 ⁰Brix and appears to be starting higher than average.  Later regions have also begun tapping trees. Continue reading →

Join the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs’ new webinars to learn what Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) food safety schemes work best for your business.

Learn first-hand from GFSI representatives and scheme owners about the key aspects of featured schemes. Continue reading →

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Sap harvest and syrup processing activities – April 9 to 15, 2016

It has been a long and rewarding maple syrup season across all Ontario this year for many producers.  Sap harvest in southern areas, west to east, has now finished.  Many central and mid-season areas are also finishing up their processing season during this past week and previous weekend.  Fresh sap is still being harvested April 14 in north areas of Grey / Bruce, Haliburton and Lanark & District counties.

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Sap flow and maple syrup processing activities – March 26 to April 1, 2016

Overview: The flavour and clarity of maple syrup this year is reported by producers as outstanding and of very high quality.  The syrup season has ended now in early southern regions.  Many maple syrup producers are satisfied after processing close to an average normal yield or more, including all colour grades.

Central and northern regions had a very busy week, many reporting record-breaking sap volume and seeing darker colour grades now. At least one or two more weeks of sap collection and syrup processing is expected in northern areas of Ontario.

Continue reading →