4-H: All about maple syrup

The Centre Wellington 4-H Maple Syrup Club traveled to Holstein, on April 9. After arriving and parking we had a tractor ride to the Maple Syrup Festival site.

We first went to the Wood Burning Craft. After cutting a circle of wood off a log, we then choose a template we wanted burned onto the wood. A helper then imprinted the hot metal stencil onto the piece of wood.

Then a few of us tried the wood maze and climbing the tire tower. After this we went into an enormous white tent to look around. We even tried a sip of maple sap. It was clear and had a hint of a sweet taste.

We then walked down a hill and to our surprise, we saw what looked like a little village. There were cooks and food plus other vendors that had crafts and treats.

We ate lunch and then looked around and tried our hand at a few crafts. Some of us made candle lanterns out of  tin can. We also carded sheep fleece and turned maple taffy on a stick. It tasted super good. We saw a sheep being shorn. It was a cold day to loose a woolly coat.

We had a small tour of the maple syrup collection site. We were told how the sap is collected in lines and how the sap goes into a big collection tank before it is filtered.

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Danielle Westrik