Selfmade maple syrup from the Sugar Shack

When spring comes and temperatures rise above freezing during the day while remaining below freezing at night, it's time for the Sugar Shack (où la Cabane à sucre), the sugar shack. This is the place where maple syrup is made. The province of Quebec is the main growing area and Canada itself produces 80% of the world's supply. And how do you find out about such a place? Of course, through contacts!

Fortunately for us, Raphael, a Quebecker who had done an exchange to Jönköping in Sweden last semester, had invited us. Not him directly, but the family of Marie-Philippe, a friend of his (she: top left in the picture, he: bottom right). Her father had bought the Sugar Shack with about 500 trees just this year and invited us to the first "harvest". So we drove about an hour out of Quebec to the farm. On the way to the Sugar Shack, we noticed the numerous maple trees, each with a metal bucket hanging from it. During the temperature change, the maple tree draws the sugar-rich sap from the ground to nourish the tree for budding. The liquid flows directly into the bucket through a spout and must be emptied several times a week. So we were not only visitors, but also free labor.

The best part of the whole experience was that we could taste the maple syrup in its various states. The water directly from the tree tastes watery. When the water content is reduced in the Sugar Shack, the sap can also be served as a hot drink. It tastes best with a little kick, just like our mulled wine at home. The actual heating process reduces the water content to about 33% at 100°C. Then comes the filtration and either immediate packaging in cans at over 80°C or direct cooling in the snow. While the former makes the maple syrup transportable through a natural vacuum, the latter results in Frozen Maple Syrup, a syrup with a twist. It takes about 40-60 liters of water to produce 1 liter of maple syrup. This likely explains the size of the farm with 500 trees. As delicious as maple syrup is on pancakes, waffles, etc., the matter was a bit too sugary for us, especially with the Frozen Maple Syrup.