The middle of the city isn’t the kind of place you’d expect an old-fashioned maple syrup boil down. But that’s exactly what happened in Regal Heights on Saturday, April 2.

The event, which drew more than 30 people, was the final stage of a project to make the sweet syrup using sap from neighbourhood trees.

About 15 volunteers worked on the project. They tapped nine trees and worked throughout February and March to collect and partially boil down the sap. There was a lot of it. Neighbours had to collect 40 to 60 litres of the clear liquid for every litre of finished syrup.

For Saturday’s event, volunteers used a burner and an oversized pot outdoors on Springmount Ave. to heat the partially boiled sap to about 104 degrees. That’s the point where it’s thick and sweet enough to be considered syrup. Everyone dropping by got to taste a sample.

We can always use more trees and volunteers. If you have a maple tree on your private property and would like to tap it next year, let us know at rhra@regalheights.ca (The City doesn’t allow tapping of City trees. These are usually in the front yard, closer to the road.) If you’d like to volunteer, get in touch and we’ll put you on the list.

Photos by Susan Noakes