Long thaw makes for great maple syrup season in Manitoba

CTV Winnipeg: Maple syrup makers like late spring At least one maple syrup producer says this is one of the best years to tap a tree in Manitoba.

There might be a sweet side to this bitter winter. At least one maple syrup producer says this is one of the best years to tap a tree in Manitoba.

Normally, the season in Manitoba for syrup is very short, but forester Ken Fosty says this year has been great because of the longer period of above-zero temperatures during the day, and below zero temperatures at night.

Fosty says you can even tap trees to make your own maple syrup. Just find a maple or birch tree, drill a hole in the side, put in the tap, and watch it start to flow. A used water bottle or old pop bottle can be used to collect the syrup.

"A lot of people didn't realize, and still don't realize, that Manitoba maple makes and excellent syrup and is just as good, if not better, than the sugar maple. As long as the tree is six inches in diameter, you can tap it."

Fosty says maple syrup remains mostly a spring hobby for people in the province instead of a business.