Spring… my other favorite season. It means summer is almost here! Spring also means Maple syrup festivals. We went to our first sugar bush Maple syrup festival at Horton’s farms. A sugar bush is a group of Maple trees (used to make Maple syrup) growing in the same area. We arrived at Horton’s around 10am just in time for the wagon ride. It was still a bit chilly so the open-air wagon ride made for some icy cheeks.
We went on a guided tour where we were shown how maple syrup was made traditionally and how it is done the modern way. We saw the taps and tin cans from the maple trees where sap is collected. We also saw the long tubes used these days to send sap from the trees straight to the sugar house. We got to sample Maple syrup in the sugar shack. Yum! Wafts of sweet smoke came from the pots as the sap was boiled down to make syrup. Did you know that it takes about 40 gallons of sap (depending on how concentrated it is) to make one gallon of Maple syrup? No wonder pure Maple syrup is pricey!
We then proceeded to the log cabin for some pancakes and other maple treats. Pancakes hot off the griddle with melting butter and maple syrup (of course!) made us very hungry. The line-up was a bit long but we finally got our pancakes. We sat down to enjoy our Pancake “lunch” on the benches outside. Breakfast for lunch was not a bad idea at all! We also bought some maple candies and even tried out maple coffee (which is really coffee sweetened with maple syrup). Truly perfect for anyone with a sweet tooth!
With our tummies full, we took a stroll in the woods while the kids ran around. After that, we were back in the wagon to head for home. We have gone to a couple of other sugar bush Maple syrup festivals and the set up is pretty much the same. Other festivals would have more activities for the kids while others would stick to the more traditional adventure. Either way, Maple syrup festivals are a sure sign of Spring! Sweet.
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