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Maple syrup produced from Summerland trees

Project was done to determine if syrup can be produced commercially in the Okanagan Valley

Maple trees at Nomad Cider in Summerland were tapped and the sap water was boiled to produce maple syrup on Sunday.

The initiative was done by Maple Roch, a maple syrup company based in Summerland.

While the company has been around for six years, this is the first time trees in Summerland have been used to produce syrup.

A total of 15 trees were tapped and 600 litres of sap water was collected.

The trees were tapped and the sap water was collected in the last week of February and first two weeks of March.

Roch Fortin, owner of Maple Roch, said the sap water is then boiled to create the syrup. To produce one litre of maple syrup, 40 to 50 litres of sap water is needed.

He added that he is hoping to produce syrup commercially in the future.

“If we can tap 100 trees in Summerland, we can have a commercial venture,” he said.

The 100 trees would yield 300 to 500 litres of maple syrup.

At present, maple syrup is produced in Eastern Canada, primarily Quebec and New Brunswick, and in parts of the northeastern United States.

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JOHN ARENDT MAPLE SYRUP Roch Fortin, owner of Maple Roch, works on boiling maple sap water to produce maple syrup. On Sunday, syrup was boiled at Nomad Cider in Summerland. A total of 15 trees in the community were tapped this year.


John Arendt

About the Author: John Arendt

John Arendt has worked as a journalist for more than 30 years. He has a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Journalism degree from Ryerson Polytechnical Institute.
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