Freeze-thaw cycles create maple syrup bonanza in Ottawa-Gatineau

Rollercoaster weather patterns this winter and spring have been a boon for maple syrup producers in the National Capital Region.

Nicolas Simard, production manager at ProulxMaple and Berry Farm in Cumberland, Ont., said this season has been especially strong.

"We've had a really good season," he said. "We actually really need the cold nights so frost at night and in the day, between one and fivedegrees Celsius, is the ideal temperature."

Those ideal temperatures have the sap flowing at in large volumes.

"It takes 40 litres of sap to make one litre of maple syrup. In a day, we average around 50 to 70 litres of maple syrup," Simard said."That's with 2,000 taps."

"Compared to last year, it looks really good," addedAndr Filionof Vignoble Chelsea, which has around 850 taps.

'It's long hours'

The Proulx farm has beenoperatingfor nearly 100 yearsand it's about to change hands.Melissa Proulxrepresentsthe fourth generation of her family to take the helm.

Even afterspending her entire childhood on the farm, this season stands out, Proulx said.

"I don't remember from my earliest childhood ever having this long of a maple syrup season," she said. "Usually by this time of year, we're gearing towardthe end."

As mid-April approachesthe evaporation process is still in full swing, with staff members splitting shifts to make sure all the sap gets processed in time.

"It's long hours. It's not something that you can just do as a job. It's something that you have to love," Proulx said. "Sap doesn't keep, so you don't have a choice."

The sugar shack the farm uses today is the same one built by her grandfather and her great-grandfather in 1920, Proulxsaid.

All the sap undergoesan evaporation process that takes between two and three hours, Simard said, eventually ending up in bottles that head either to stores or to the farm's breakfast table.

The farm serves visitors a full breakfast, including eggs, beans, sausageand pancakes all smothered in fresh maple syrup.

Trouble further north

Producers north of the Gatineau area have had different weather, leadingto a slower start to the season.

"The barrels are empty," said Joanne Bocage, co-ownerofSucerieBeauBelin Haute-Gatineau, about 40 kilometres north of Maniwaki.

Bocage told Radio-Canada late last week that she's been in the business for 16 years and it's rare to have so little syrup in April.

"I know there are areas further south where it's working [better] but here it's very late, it's worrying," she said.

Environment Canada meteorologist Steve Boily said further north, there hasn't been as big of a thaw as closer to the Ottawa River, calling Haute-Gatineau"unlucky."

The Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers told Radio-Canada it is too early in the season to tell what kind of year it will be across the province.

A sweet year for maple syrup producers

7 years ago

Duration 0:51

Take a look inside Proulx Maple and Berry Farm in Ottawa, as they experience one of their best seasons on record.