KITCHENER — While maple syrup season is likely still a few weeks away, some local producers are getting ready. “We haven’t tapped the trees yet, but it’s almost ready to go,” said Kevin Snyder of Snyder Heritage Farms. “I presume or expect a lot of producers will start tapping in this coming week because the temperatures are getting above freezing.” Maple syrup season typically takes place in March, when the temperatures are warmer to tap the trees and start collecting sap. Snyder says with their pipeline system they are able to get the sap from the trees down into the tanks and then from the tanks it goes to their sugar house where they process the sap into maple syrup. “In our operation here we currently tap about 65 acres of forest. The last count was about 3,500 taps that we put out in our operation,” said Snyder. Snyder says the pandemic has changed the way they market maple syrup and maple products, with local maple syrup festivals and many farmers markets closed due to provincial restrictions. “Some producers relied on those markets for the majority of their sales. Those sales were lost to those producers so some of those producers had to find other markets,” said Snyder. Snyder says the Ontario Maple Syrup Producers Association is a great resource for those searching for local maple syrup producers. “It can be just as simple as giving him a phone call and asking if he has syrup available,” said Snyder.
