Volunteers Give Kids Up Close Lesson About Maple Syrup

Tapping the Trees Near UMD

We all know maple syrup comes from the sap of maple trees, but have you ever seen the process up close and personal?

A group of volunteers took preschool children on a hike through the woods at Bagley Nature Area near UMD earlier this morning.

The group learned how to drill into the side of a maple tree, how to get the sap out, and even how to boil it down into maple syrup.

The volunteers leading this tiny expedition say they hope to make a lasting impression on the kids they take along.

“They’re really interested in just the drilling process and how the sap starts coming out. They get really excited!” said Britt Edlund, one of the volunteer guides.

According to Edlund and her fellow experts, it takes about 10 gallons of sap to make just one gallon maple syrup.