Sugar Bush
Finally! After a decade and a half of coming to Canada I finally made it to a Maple Syrup “Sugar Bush”! I remember reading about maple syrup in a library book as a kid and being both excited and intrigued about the idea of tapping a tree for the sweet sap then boiling it down to make syrup that could freeze in the snow into candy. Well today's experience didn't tick all those boxes but it certainly didn't disappoint!
Shaws Maple Syrup Bush has 4500 trees all giving up the good stuff. My childhood picture of the process didn't prepare me for the network of interconnected transparent tubing running between the trees, drawing out the sap and funnelling it away by gravity and vacuum to a central collection point. Ingenious!
The Canadian and I went with her brother and sister-in-law, and our toddler. Wrapped up warm we trod through the snow. While my attention was taken by the trees and tubing, my toddler only had one priority – “ 'orse, 'orse!” Two black Percheron draft horses pulled a wagon of tourists around the maple trees. We took a ride and also passed by the team twice on our walk through the Sugar Bush, my daughter's face lighting up as she pointed and laughed in delight.
What a great morning!
2022-03-15 #Canada
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