Taught to early settlers by people indigenous to Wisconsin, maple sugaring continues to be passed down from generation to generation, says Emily Brown, naturalist at the Wehr Nature Center in Franklin. It’s also an important business for the Badger State, whose weather conditions are just right for producing maple sugar from our state tree.
Celebrate our sugaring heritage at one of these events:
1. Maple Sugaring
MARCH 18 | HAWTHORN GLEN
Identify native maple trees and learn the history of maple sugaring at this outdoor education center. Taste test maple syrup against factory-made, and enjoy Wisconsin syrup over pancakes with – this may sound a little weird – a pickle, to cut the sweetness.
1130 N. 60th St.; $5 city residents, $8 nonresidents
VOTE FOR MILWAUKEE’S BEST BEER!
What’s Brew City’s best? We’ve picked 16 of our favorite Milwaukee craft beers for a March Madness-style tournament, but it’s up to you to pick the winner! Will it be bright and hoppy? Dark and malty? A zippy lager? Every one is worthy of the title; who will claim the sudsy crown?
2. Maple Sugar Time
MARCH 18 | SCHLITZ AUDUBON NATURE CENTER
Test old-school hand drills, watch a tree-tapping, observe sap boiling and enjoy a pancake breakfast with maple syrup from a local Wisconsin farm at this ticketed annual event.
1111 E. Brown Deer Rd., Bayside; $10 members, $15 nonmembers
3. Maple Sugar Days
MARCH 18-19 | WEHR NATURE CENTER
Volunteers lead a short hike, stopping to explain how to tap a tree, how to boil sap and the history of maple sugaring in Wisconsin. The last stop includes a pancake served with maple syrup from a local farm.
701 W. College Ave., Franklin; $10 person
4. Maple Fest
MARCH 19 | COVENANT HARBOR
Enjoy food and beverages from local vendors, and have fun with outdoor activities – like ax throwing – at this camp’s annual community event. Sign up for a tour of the maple tree forest to learn more about the tapping process, or buy tickets for the popular pancake breakfast.
1724 W. Main St., Lake Geneva
5. Maple Syrup Family Day
MARCH 25 | RICHFIELD HISTORICAL PARK
Get involved in this free event by retrieving a bucket of sap, joining a hands-on demonstration of goat milking, watching an authentic blacksmith at work or purchasing the $7 all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast (topped with maple syrup, of course).
1896 Highway 164, Richfield; Free
Sticky situation
A little intel on how sap becomes syrup
Ours is one of the few states that’s able to participate in maple sugaring – a simple process that involves drilling a hole, attaching a spigot and letting the sap drip into a bucket – and that’s thanks to our
notorious spring weather. Tree tapping requires freezing nights and above-freezing temperatures during the day (weather Wisconsin typically sees starting in late February and lasting about six weeks) to start the circulatory process in the tree. Once the sap is tapped from the tree, it needs to be boiled (to remove water and produce a concentrate), filtered and graded before it’s ready to be bottled and poured over your pancakes – or ladled outdoors to become “sugar on snow,” a taffy-like candy.
