Do you absolutely love breakfast and would like to learn about the wonderful invention of maple syrup?

Well, my fellow Stroudsburg student, you are in luck.

The Kettle Creek Environmental Education center will be celebrating its 42nd annual Maple sugaring day.  The event will be held on Saturday, March 2, 2019 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The cost is six dollars for adults and four dollars for children.

“It was created forty-two years ago with the idea of educating people of all ages about where maple sugar comes from,” said Environmental Educator Ms. Karen Boyle.

But how was this invention we call “maple sugar” invented, you may ask?  

There is one legend that is mostly heard of about maple syrup. It was first created by an Iroquois woman, the wife of Chief Woksis. On specific day, while Chief Woksis was out on a hunt, there was tree sap dripping into and filling up a container by the trunk of a tree. The woman saw the liquid and thought it was plain plain water, so she decided to cook it that evening. Thus, she was the first to create maple sugar.

Most people are probably aware that if maple sugar is not handled and prepared properly, then it will not taste good. Thankfully, The maple sugar developers at Kettle Creek crew with their 42 years of experience know all the necessary steps to take in order to create delicious maple sugar.

Temperature is a key factor in making maple sugar.  Ideally, the temperature should be approximately 40 degrees during the day and 20 degrees at night.  

The process is also tedious. It actually takes five days for a tree to produce 40 gallons of sap.

There are far more details that people will likely learn when they go to the event, which is always both educational, informative, and entertaining.  The entire public is invited to come and learn all about how maple sugar was discovered, how the pioneers created it from certain types of tree saps. Everybody will get to try some of the maple sugar, as well.

“Teaching about the history of maple sugaring and actually producing maple sugar is one of the best programs we do all year at Kettle Creek!” said Environmental Education Coordinator Mr. Roger Spotts.

The presentations are meant to be informative and entertaining. Think about it, without maple sugar, what else would we use to dip our pancakes/waffles in?

“Being able to do things in the sugar bush the way pioneers did them many years ago is really cool, like using a hand drill to tap the maple trees!” said Delaney Henasey, who was named the center’s 2018 Volunteer of the Year.

SHS students share fun thoughts on maple sugar:

“I prefer maple syrup on waffles rather than pancakes” said senior Caeley Hank.

Students who have attended believe encourage others to do so as well.

“It would be very educational to learn how maple sugar was made, and I think students should try and go,” said junior Mallory Motes.

So why not come and enjoy some maple sugar? For only six dollars, visitors will get to learn a lot and sink their teeth into homemade pancakes smothered in homemade maple syrup.

For more information about this unique event, click here.