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"A Family Tradition for 131 Years" PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, April 1, 1997 -5 In the sugar tradition By Heather McCrae Port Perry Star yr very year about this time... Paul and Betty Ann Harder of Harlaine Maple Products are in the midst of tapping their sugar bush. Ever since Mr. Harder can remember he's tapped 12 acres of maple trees annu- ally on the Sunderland-area farm to make maple syrup. And Vince Beaton, the previ- ous owner before Mr. Harder's parents bought itin 1954, was tapping the bush back as early as 1920. When the Harders first began tapping trees they used buckets to collect sap, but later switched to the pipeline system in the mid-80s. A network of plastic lines is connected to a pump which suctions sap directly to two stainless steel tanks in the bush. From these tanks the sap is pumped up to the sugar shack, where it is fed into a wood-fired evaporator. At Harlaine Maple Products 1,600 feet of pipeline runs from the stainless steel tanks up to the sugar shack. So the pipe- line won't interfere with the cropping on their farm, half of the line is buried under- ground in, the field. When'Mr. Harder initially made the switchover to the pipeline he had 500 taps, but now has 1,000 in his bush of sugar and black maple trees. While the amount of sap collected varies each season, Mr. Harder says, "a good rule of thumb is you make one litre of syrup per tap." "Last year was a banner year; we had really good weather." The proper climate in the maple syrup industry is criti- | cal, he says. "It has to be below freezing at : night, then rise |. up to at least 8 degrees Celsius or higher in the day time. "During the freezing temper-| atures, the sap isin the tree's roots. As the temperatures rise, the sap 3 = Fore escalates upin the tree towards Betty Ann Harder sp "Mot of time and effort is required during the short maple syrup season, but it's one Mr. Harder looks forward to each year. "He starts talking about tapping the trees at Christmas," Mrs. Harder says. In the sugar shack the maple sap is evaporated into syrup by means of a large wood-fired evaporator. At Harlaine Maple Products the Harders make Canada #1 Light, Medium and Amber syrup. When you walk into the Harder's sugar shack, the sweet aroma of maple welcomes you. From March through until May this is where Mrs. Harder spends much of her time making maple jelly, maple sugar candy and maple butter. Throughout the spring the maple products can be purchased here and gift baskets are available, if ordered in advance. As well as having the maple syr- ends a lot of her time in the family's sugar operations, the Harders manage its limbs," Mr. shack from March to May making delicious maple butter and other their own dairy farm, where their Harder says. When you tap the tree, the syrup flows outside either into a pail or a pipeline. The sap usually begins to flow in mid- March and continues until the middle of April, but that depends on the weather. While an average season is four weeks, it's been known to last only two weeks, or extend to six weeks. "We want to produce good quality syr- up. Mother Nature looks after the quanti- ty, and we look after the quality," Mr. Harder says. Like honey, maple syrup is a pure, nat- ural sweetener. Having an abundance of trace minerals that are essential to good nutrition, pure maple syrup has no added colors or flavors. It is a good source of iron, potassium, magnesium, phosphorous, vitamins B2, B5, B6 and niacin, plus calci- um equivalent to that in milk. delicious treats made from the maple syrup produced on their farm. main commodities are milk and cat- tle sales. They grow their own hay, corn, barley and soya beans to feed 80 pur- ebred holsteins. It's often said maple syrup signals the end of winter and is reason enough to hold a festival. This weekend the Harders will be conducting tours to the maple sugar bush during Sunderland's second annual Maple Syrup Festival. Visitors are welcome seven days a week, especially during the syrup season. Introducing... 154 QUEEN STREET ~ PORT PERRY 985-4808 Dedicated To Old Fashioned Service 4 5 Sale Hours Thursday 8 - 5, Friday 8-5, Saturday 9-2 Reach Industrial Park - Reg. Rd. 8 (174 Mile East Of No. 12), Port Perry Thermal Windows------ Vinyl Siding ----------------- Vinyl Storm Doors a ---- a ---- -- -- ---- Bay Windows--------------- Limited Quantities LsINCE 1969) Doors - Windows - T Sales & Installation Cash & Carry A Allen's ~ | siding A | [Em-- PREVI) Kanone Gold Club JFiAw.0.AC rough - Additions - Solariums | PORT PERRY e (905) 985-3333 Lindsay » (705) 328-1402 « (705) 878-2023 FINANCING AVAILABLE FOR COMPLETE HOME (ENERGY SAVING) RENOVATIONS ON ALL ALCAN PRODUCTS