Many people ask us when they visit "when is maple season" or "when is maple syrup made". There is no such thing as a dumb question so we're here to help with your maple syrup production questions. The short answer is- maple syrup is made in the winter and spring.
When and Where Maple Syrup is Made
Maple syrup is only made in the North Eastern part of North America and it is generally only made between February & April. This is somewhat of a generalization as some regions may start a little earlier and end a little later. But in general the whole crop is harvested and produced in this short 3 month window.
Maple syrup comes from the sap of the maple tree. Although maple trees grow all over the world it is only in North Eastern North America that we get the correct climatic conditions to harvest maple sap.
The Reason Maple Syrup is Made in the Spring
In our part of the world the spring of the year brings cold night and warm days- above freezing during the day and below freezing at night. This of course is the same phenomenon that causes our roads to be filled with pot holes and our sidewalks to crack and buckle. But let’s not worry about that right now.
This change in temperature causes the maple sap to flow up and down the tree trunk allowing maple producers in Nova scotia and the rest of the maple making areas to harvest this maple sap and then further process it into maple syrup.
Although the season may last 2-3 months the maple sap does not run every day. The maple sap will only run if you receive below freezing nights and above freezing warm days. So as I mentioned earlier, when maple season is, is very dependent on your actual location.
Maple Syrup is an Agricultural Crop
Don;t forget we're dealing with mother nature so the timeline, quantity and quality of the maple syrup crop can also vary wildly from maple season to maple season. Some maple seasons are great, some maple seasons are bad and most maple seasons are somewhat... well... average. By average of course I am talking about actual production numbers and not taste.