The tradition of the sugar shack is a must in springtime in Quebec. At Say Ça! we decided that we didn’t need to wait until the end of winter to learn more about maple groves and the making of the famous maple syrup.
We hosted a workshop to allow the youth of Say Ça! to discover the history of maple syrup and the secrets of its preparation.
Originally, sugar maple water was harvested by making a notch in the trunk of the tree and attaching a piece of wood to it. The water was poured into a wooden container (called a boiler) and then boiled in iron cauldrons to obtain a concentrate: maple syrup. If heating continues, the liquid becomes more concentrated and you can obtain taffy, then maple butter and finally sugar.
Over time, the process evolved and became more professional and the first sugar shacks appeared. Maple syrup producers (called maple farmers) collect maple water in early spring, when nights of frost are followed by days of thaw – this period is called “sugar season” or “sugar time” in Quebec.
Did you know that it takes between 35 and 40 liters of maple water to make one liter of syrup?
At the end of the workshop, all the young people took part in a quiz to make sure they had retained the information. Congratulations to our young people Valéria, Jill, Jeevana and Santiago who had the best answers to the quiz and won a prize.
Thank you to our partner #Youth in Action for helping us organize and fund this workshop and learn more about this iconic Canadian product.