Earltown, NS -
It's maple time again as the sweet sap pours into collection tanks all over the region.
The much-anticipated first taste of spring arrived earlier than expected this year for many producers.
"I did my first boil yesterday (March 11)," said Peter Grant of Maple Mist Farm on the Kemptown Road near Earltown (Nova Scotia). "Last year we didn't do our first boil until the end of the month.
"It looks good so far. I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed for a good year."
Murray Johnston had the taps at his MacLellans Brook sugar bush already for sap collection last week and was able to collect enough to boil his first batch on Monday (March 8).
"I got the first sap run on Sunday(March 7)," said Johnston, who is also president of the Maple Producers Association of Nova Scotia. "The weather wasn't perfect but it wasn't too bad."
He said sap flows at the whim of Mother Nature and maple producers have learned to "take it one day at a time."
Johnston said a few producers from Cumberland County, where about 75 per cent of the province's maple syrup is made, were able to boil about two weeks ago.
Maple specialist Dale MacIsaac said while some producers have had good runs so far, an ice storm late last week caused some damage to treetops, buds and small twigs.
"The ice storm was not severe, but we worry about the cumulative effect on the trees," said MacIsaac. "It seems to me that ice storms are occurring more frequently."
He said despite the fact it is early, some producers have already made a "decent" amount of syrup and some have not even finished tapping their trees.
Jim Bezanson of Swan's Maple Products, based in Central New Annan, had about 1,000 taps left to put in before he was able to complete his first boil last week.
"That's early," he said. "For us an average year starts around the 15th of March."
In the past 30 years there have been only two seasons where syrup was made earlier than this year.
He said while sap is "flowing like crazy" now, that does not indicate how good the season will be or how long it may last.
"You really can't tell," said Bezanson. "Our biggest year was when we didn't get a drop of sap until March 27 and it lasted for 15 days straight."
Many producers welcome visitors to their sugar bushes and look forward to sharing their trade with others. During the next few weeks several communities across the region will host pancake suppers to celebrate the first agricultural crop of spring.
