First Tapping

As daytime temperatures begin to inch above the freezing mark, the maple-tapping season begins, harvesting the sap of sugar maple trees for reduction into syrup. Among the Ruttan family papers at the Community Archives is a small slip of paper recording the dates when tapping of trees began at the Way family farm near Wooler, Ontario.

The earliest date listed is March 17, with an average date of March 29. This is late, by today's standards, when a mid-February date is common in the Quinte region.