‘Inconsistent’ start to maple syrup season in southwestern Ontario says local producer

Maple syrup season underway - the sap is flowing, and the syrup is boiling in sugar bushes across Ontario, CTV London's Scott Miller hits the trails.

Kevin Snieder is still waiting for that 24-48 hours of perfect weather to really kick off maple syrup season.

“We haven’t had any big runs yet, but this week looks pretty good. It’s just been a little too cold,” said Snieder.

Snieder is looking for perfect conditions at Robinson Maple Products near Auburn - that’s a few degrees above freezing during the day and a few degrees below freezing overnight. The temperature fluctuations get that freeze-thaw cycle going, and that really gets the maple sap running.

“Right now it’s looking like it’s going to be pretty warm for a bit. So we’ll get sap and then eventually it’ll just peter out. It’ll get less and less every day, until you get that freeze. So we’re hoping for a freeze - but then when it’s going to freeze up here coming up, it looks like it’s going to stay cold for a bunch. So obviously, when it’s froze the sap doesn’t run. So I’m not sure what the weather is going to give us yet,’ said Snieder.

This syrup season marks 50 years of making maple syrup for the Robinson and Snieder families. The family operation usually fills 230 barrels or 7,000 gallons with “Canadian gold,” each season. 460,000 feet of tubing carries the sap from 23,300 taps across 360 acres to Robinson’s Sugar Camp each and every spring.

“Most trees only get one tap - some get two, but they have to be pretty big to get two. It takes about 40 years for a tree to be able to get tapped, and it’ll go 60-70 years until it’s time to get rid of it because it’s too big,” said Snieder.

While most of that Robinson maple syrup stays in Ontario, some actually heads overseas.

“We do have a contract in Japan. We send them about 1,200 cases twice a year which is a full container load twice a year. So we have an exclusive deal with them, but most of it just stays in Ontario,” said Snieder.

Whether it turns out to be a bumper crop or simply a middling year depends on the next few weeks of weather. Snieder has his fingers crossed things don’t get too warm or too cold, so that sweet sap picks up steam.

“That’s the hope. I mean, you don’t know until it’s done. You just won’t get any sap anymore, and that’ll be the end of it. It’s just like that” he said.