The sweet taste of spring and continuing family traditions

Filtering maple syrup is one of the last steps before bottling. The entire Danbrook family pitches in to carry on the tradition of maple syrup production. (Jeff Helsdon Photo)

Jeff Helsdon, Editor

One of the quintessential Canadian rites of spring is the making of maple syrup.

For the Danbrook family, making maple syrup means everyone pitching in to carry on a long-standing family tradition. The Danbrook family has been making maple syrup since John’s great-grandfather started making it in Mapleton, where they lived at the time. Syrup production on the farm where the family lives now, outside of Tillsonburg, started when John’s dad Keith, moved there in 1974.

After Keith moved to the long-term care home and John’s son Tyler, purchased the home, syrup production continued there until the equipment expired.

“I bought new equipment, moved it over here, and we’ve been doing it together since then over here,” John said, indicating his home across the street.

Making maple syrup could be called a labour of love, as it is labour-intensive. It starts with installing 450 taps in trees in the woodlot behind John’s house. Each is food-grade, and the spiles are sprayed with alcohol before drilling holes to minimize the spread of bacteria and potential damage to the tree.

Collection is a family effort between John’s wife, Jenny, children Tyler, Trevor, and Nichole, plus the grandchildren. Even with the big team, it still takes two to three hours. When the bucket system is used, sap collection should be done at the end of the day, as daytime warmth promotes sap flow.

“When it’s running, you have to collect it every day,” John said.

When he gets home after work, John oversees the boiling of the sap. Although this starts at the end of February, wood for the boiler needs to be cut and split beforehand. The boiler is stainless steel, and all the equipment is food-grade.

Boiling sap is not a small task, as it takes 40 liters of sap to yield 1 liter of maple syrup. Temperature is crucial; it must be 7˚ Fahrenheit above the boiling point of water, which changes with barometric pressure. The syrup then needs to be filtered and bottled.

Typically, the sap stops running at the end of March, and it’s time for the family to enjoy the fruits of their labour. Usually, the end result is 300 liters of sweet maple syrup.

“My dad’s saying used to be when you can hear the frogs in the woods at night, you’re done,” John said, adding when miller moths are found in the buckets, it’s another sign.