All ages enjoy maple syrup festival (6 photos)

Depending on where you live, 2017 might not be a good year for maple syrup producers.

Last summer’s drought means many southern Ontario region maple trees won’t contain as much stored starch and sugar, compared to a summer with enough precipitation.

However, at least one maple syrup producer from the Sault and area is confident of a good season.

“For us, two weeks ago we had a mild spell and we were ready to collect the sap.  We were able to collect that sap and make 170 gallons of syrup,” said Suzanne Manchur of St. Joseph Island’s Mountain Maple Products.

“Today, apparently, the sap is running and so we’ll probably be making more syrup this week,” Manchur told SooToday.

“We have an early start this year…it usually lasts until the end of April.  If we get another run today and it runs for the next two to three weeks, we’ll do well.”

Mountain Maple Products was on hand at a packed Mill Market Saturday, where customers celebrated the market’s Maple Syrup Festival.

“We’re hoping for a good season.  You never know, my husband always says to ask him in May, you never know from year to year what you’re going to get,” Manchur said with a smile.

Ideal sap collecting conditions, Manchur said, consist of cold nights and warm days.

“If you get cold nights, then it gets warm and stays warm, the season would be over…once the trees start to bud, the season’s over, because your sap becomes so strong it turns bad.”

Mountain Maple Products was established in 1964, and for the past 40 years it has been owned and operated by Manchur, her husband Don and family friend Ches Wallace.

Since then, the Manchur children and grandchildren have also gotten involved in the business, based at Richards Landing.

Mountain Maple Products produces maple syrup, maple butter, maple candy and maple sugar, drawn from its sugar bush on the island’s P Line Road. 

“We’ve started spreading our products out a little bit.  We go from Parry Sound to Kenora with some of our products, and Thunder Bay has about five outlets which sell our products as well,” Manchur said.

More recently, the company has diversified its products, as Manchur’s daughter has started making maple salsa and maple barbecue sauce.