We pack a lot into the pages of every issue of Kayak, but there’s always more great stuff we just can’t fit in. So join Teeka and Beau, our otter mascots, to find out more about the theme of each issue, or just pick up some random bits of Canadian history.

The Maple Moon

It’s almost maple syrup time! Since First Nations people first discovered how to make syrup, Canadians have welcomed this sweet time of year.

Here’s the story of how Europeans learned to make maple syrup from native people. 

Regardez en français ici.

When the temperature rises to about five degrees during the day but goes down below zero at night, that’s when the sap in sugar maples starts to run. That could last from two to six weeks, any time from February and April. Farmers in Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick gather the sap through hoses or in buckets. They heat it up and boil it for a long time, until it thickens and gets sweet. It takes about 40 litres of sap to make one litre of syrup.

There are maple syrup festivals all over eastern Canada, so get out and see how this wonderful treat is made. Be sure to eat some pancakes and try some maple taffy made from boiled-down syrup poured on snow, too!

[Photo credit: Quebec tourism site]

You can also visit pancake houses, known as cabanes à sucres in French-speaking areas. And yes, people do make maple syrup in every province, but the operations are much, much smaller than in New Brunswick and especially Ontario and Quebec.