Ori~no WeeldV Times1 Wechiesdoy Mmy 4 1~94~- ~t m by 8Bi6u nt in g MAPLE SYRUP One of the harbingers of spring, as far as I arn concerned, that ranks right up there with the sighting of the first robin is the first taste of the "New Maple Syrup" harvest. If the maple sap run is on or close to being finished and the robins are back, van spring be far behind? Maple syrup and maple sugar have been a part of this country's history for a long time. The Native North Americans were using maple sap wo produce maple syrup and sugar when the first settlers reachcd this part of the country. They shared their knowledge with the settiers and it wasn't long until the settiers made the boiling of maple sap a regular spring ritual. Canada prescntly produces about 70% of the world's supply of Maple syrup with Quebec producing about two-thirds of this. Hard or Rock Maple (Acer Saccharum) is the major source of this sweet nectar but Red Maple (A. rubrum), Black Maple (A. nigrum) and Silver Maple (A. Saccharinum) have also been used for production for private consumption. They are flot normally used to produce syrup commercially. The maple syrup producing area stretches from Ontario to Nova Scotia and into the adjacent United States. It is an industry which generates about $100 million dollars a year in Canada and is an important source of income for the many family owned operations spread throughout the area. The method of collecting the sap has undergone extensive changes in the last few years. Originally the sap was collected in "sap buckets" hanging on "4spiles" which were driven in holes drilled into the trees. The buckets were cmpticd rcgularly and thc sap tmnsported in barrels on stone boats drawn by horses to the sugar shack. Most commercial operations now use plastic tubing to dliver thc sap ftom the te w the evaporator. The mcthod of boilixig thc sap bas also vhanged. Originally it was boiled ini large iron kettlcs over an open wood fire. Today most operations -are conductcd with evaporators heated by wood, gas, or oit. The aim of Uic operation is thec same, wo concentrate Uic sap which lias a sugar content of up to 10% to begin with, to a syrup with a content of 66% or better. The boiling not only concentrates Uic sap but also gives the syrup a colour and flavour that Uic, Sap did not possess. It is common knowledge Uiat the tee produces its bcst sap flow k--"hen we have freczing temperatures at niglit and warm sunny days. Best runs are thought to occur whcn nighttime temperatures arc about -4 degrees C and daytime a sunny +4 degrees C. This has always puzzled me. Why do we need frcczing nightS and warm sunny days wo produce maximum flows of sap, It sccms reasonable to assume that the warmer the btter as heat is what drives the energy motor of nature. Weather guru David Phlips (the chap who appears on the weather channel's "Ask The Experts") in his book "The Day Niagara Falls Ran Dry" offers this explanation. As night temperatures drop below freezing and the tree's sapwood begins wo freeze from Uic outside into the stem, warmer sap is drawn towards these volder outer parts of Uic tree, which adds tw Uic ice crystals beginning tw form i Uic wood cells. Tbis results in added tension to Uic sap flow and sap is pulled up from Uic roots through portions of Uic sapwood flot yct frozen. Subsequcntly whcn Uic temperature warms up and c crystals mclt, it results in an increased flow of sap. Another theory is that as wood celîs freeze, frost forms on the inside of gas filled wood fibre celis. As temperatures risc respiratory activity within Uic cel produces carbon dioxide. At lower temperatures more carbon dioxide gas is able wo be dissolved in Uic sap. As Uiecvelis warm up and the frost mclts, the carbon dioxide comes out of solution and resuits in an invrcascd pressure within the velîs. This incrcascd pressure forces Uic sap out of Uic tap hole in large amounts. Whatever the reason for the increased flow of sap under ideal conditions of niglit and daytimne temperatures it just goes to show that Mother Nature lias many secrets which we humans do not yet fully understand. by Bull Bunting Trsudy Lum granted waste award Trudy Lum, Superintendent of Curriculum of Uic Northum- berland and Newcastle Board of Eduvation bas been prcscntcd with a Waste Minimization Award. Tho award was presented by the Recycling Council of Ontario. Tho Outstanding Individual - Adult award recognizes an individual whose perseverance and determination over Uic years have had a measurable impact in reducing waste and promoting the conserver society ethic in the vommunity, in Uic workplace or in government. As head of Uic Environmental Committee for the Northum- bcrland-Clarington Board of Eduvation, Trudy Lum initiated as wastc audit plot for Uic entire Board. The result has been an incrc.ascd empliasis on vompos- ting and recycling, with an additional 20 percent reduction in wastc achieved to date. Trudy also implemented several aspects of Uic audit into curriculum and participated in Uic preparation of the Trash Tally handbook and video. High hopeÎ 111 Hope TowilshiP Hope council is hopeful of four major projecÎS that can be undertaken under the Infra- structure plan of the province and the federal goverfiment. Hope has been allotted a total of $270,000 but their wish list reaches $420,000. The council hopes to capitalize on those municipalities that -do. flot set their limit of the funding and that it van bc directed to Hope. 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