Maple's Sweet Story Told at Kensington

In Michigan, maple syrup is the first agricultural crop of the season. Kensington Metropark invites the public to glimpse early spring’s harvest during Maple’s Sweet Story, noon-3 p.m. every weekend in March. During the week, area schoolchildren take field trips to the park's Farm Center to get a lesson in good old-fashioned maple syrup making.

I had the pleasure of accompanying my son Verick’s field trip from Hawkins Elementary School on Wednesday.

The weather was warm, perfect to get that sap flowing. Farmer Matthew Blakeley greeted Lisa Wheeler’s afternoon kindergartners and got them started on a trek through the woods to identify the right maple tree for his demonstration.

Trees should be 40 years old, or 10 inches around, before they are tapped, Blakeley said.

Blakeley used a drill to bore out a small hole and inserted a spile. He hung a bucket from the spile to collect sap and covered it for the day.

Then, he led the children to the Sugar Shack, where the sap collects in a holding tank then winds through a wood-burning stove. Along the way, water is evaporated, leaving pure maple syrup behind. It takes one cord of wood to make 25 gallons of syrup. Kensington interpreter Chris Williams took breaks from stirring the syrup to split wood for the fire.

It takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup, Blakeley said.

Blakeley offered everyone a taste of the finished product, and it was absolutely delicious—pure and fresh.

Maple syrup is healthy, too. According to the Michigan Maple Syrup Association, one tablespoon of maple syrup has 50 calories and high levels of calcium and potassium.

And don't worry—you can take some of that syrup home with you. The Kensington Metropark Farm Center sells maple syrup ($7 for 8 ounces; $10 for 16 ounces) as well as maple cream ($6), a spread that's created by evaporating more water from the sap.

The kindergartners returned to school for a snack of French toast sticks dipped in maple syrup, and we've been enjoying English muffins with butter and maple cream.

Both are delicious—even more so when you know how much work goes into making them.