![]() This has been a great test, though – we’ll keep sugaring for the next couple of weeks and learn what we can and then next year we will start early and see how much we can produce. Because we are on the west coast we can collect from November to early March, which gives us a whole lot of raw material to work with. Will we have any for sale? Maybe not this year – we started this whole tapping/boiling process a bit late in the season, but next year we’ll get started in November. There is no comparison to regular pancake syrup made with corn syrup – that is very sweet, but has none of the complex flavour of this stuff!Ĩ. ![]() Except with a stronger flavour – there’s a sort of woodsy undertone that is richer than the store bought pure maple syrup from back east. It takes a nanosecond to go from boiling water to scorched syrup! At the end, the temperature rises very quickly as the percentage of sugar increases and it’s really easy to overshoot the mark, burn the syrup, and lose a whole batch! With four of us watching over the bubbling pots and alarms set on digital thermometers, we dodged this particular bullet, but I can see how easy it would be for everything to go terribly wrong.ħ. It takes FOREVER to boil off 39 liters of water.Ħ. We set up a hot plate on the deck for the first phase of boiling and only moved the pans inside as we got close to the end.ĥ. Boiling maple syrup is probably still done outdoors for that reason. It takes about 40 liters of tree sap/water to make about 1 liter of syrup, which is why all that maple syrup making back east used to be done outdoors (that’s a whole lot of steam to fog up your windows). The flow varies widely from tree to tree, from day to day, and depending on time of day, temperature, and recent temperature fluctuations…Ĥ. The little wine bladders we initially used were way too small and we’ve switched to 18 liter water jugs.ģ. If you hit a good vein (or whatever the appropriate term is…), it virtually gushes out of the tree. Sap doesn’t drip slowly and take forever to collect. The sap when it first comes out of the tree is really watery – somehow I thought it was more like thick, sticky sap like the stuff that gets stuck in your hair if you climb pine trees on warm spring days. All participants are required to read and sign the waiver before the start of the trip. We will provide a paper copy for you to read through again and sign the morning of the trip.Some things I did not know about making maple syrup…ġ. ![]() Please read our general waiver form for VIU group activities in the attachment section below. When you think of our native bigleaf maple ( Acer macrophyllum ), you might picture a mossy trunk with delicate licorice ferns. Lunchtime Activity Information Desk Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12 – 1 pm in Building 255 - First Floor Learning Commons Waiver Form ![]() Hours & Locations for Signing Up with us:įaculty of International Education Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm in Building 255, Second Floor Reception Payment (cash is currently the only method of payment for activities).Proof of medical insurance (BC Care Card or Insurance Policy).Sign up with us in person in Building 255. Our activities are available to all current VIU Students. Before you sign-up, please check out our policies & procedures for more information about how to prepare for a trip, as well as our cancellation policy. We have an ongoing commitment to ensure the safety and quality of our trips, with trained and responsible student leaders, staff and community partners. Transportation to and from the Duncan area, your entrance to the Maple Syrup Festival, Ice skating and rentals. VIU Building 255 - Main Lobby (Second Floor) Trip Includes: Money if you wish to shop or buy food/tokens for the arcade.Umbrella or rain coat (in case it rains).It can be muddy so some good boots are nice to have. You may want to wear a rain coat and warm hat and gloves.Appropriate clothing and footwear for the weather and for walking.After we are finished at the festival we will make our way over to the skating rink for some ice skating. There you can learn how to tap your own maple trees, or simply enjoy the live entertainment and try a variety of local Maple Syrup. Join us as we visit the BC Forest Discovery Centre for the Big Leaf Maple Syrup Festival.
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