Learn To Make Maple Syrup in a Minnesota State Park

It may still seem like we're in the middle of winter, but it will soon be prime maple syrup making time and what better place to learn than a Minnesota state park?

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has announced the first of a series of opportunities to learn how to make your own maple syrup:

• Programs start on March 9 at Whitewater State Park (near Winona). Attend the 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. program or the 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. program. Registration is required. Sign up by calling 507-312-2308, or by emailing holger@state.mn.us.
• Fort Snelling State Park also offers a syrup making demonstration from 1:00 p.m. -3:00 p.m. on March 9. Registration is not required, and the workshop starts in the Thomas Savage Visitor Center. Allow time for the 2-mile drive from the park entrance to the visitor center.

According to the DNR, the programs offer hands-on instruction with a taste of the finished product.  You'll also learn how to identify and tap the right kind of tree as well as how to boil the sap until it is ready to serve. Usually, the best time to collect sap has been between mid-March and mid-April, when temperatures are in the high 30s to mid-40s during the day and below freezing at night.

Follow the link below for complete details maple syruping and to see a full list of instructional classes available, which run into April, 2019.