Making Maple Syrup with David Hahn

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Maple syrup is part of the culinary and farming heritage of Ontario. Maple sugar and syrup were the principal sweeteners that First Nations and pioneer families used to brighten those winter meals that were based on stored root vegetables and smoked pork. Syrup was made on most family farms. It offered productive work during the lulls of winter and spring months when other farm activities were not so pressing. This workshop will focus of the science that underlies this traditional craft. David Hahn will open the workshop with a talk at the Wintergreen Lodge on the science of syrup. He will explain how to identify trees, and how to best collect the sap once it is flowing. David will also explain how to boil the sap, and how to bottle and grade the syrup. Following lunch, which will feature foods that use maple syrup in their preparation, participants will spend the afternoon taking part in the various aspects of maple syrup production at David’s neighbouring farm. As well as learning about syrup production, participants will have ample opportunities to enjoy the enchantment of the sugar bush during the earliest days of spring.

David Hahn and his wife Marion Watkins operate Forest Farm on Canoe Lake Road in South Frontenac. They produce maple syrup and certified organic garlic and they were Eastern Ontario Garlic Champions in 2006 and 2008. David is active with the movement to strengthen the local food system in the countryside around Kingston. He has been involved with the Food Down the Road project and is currently working with National Farmers Union New Farm project. This project is helping new and established farmers learn about the opportunities in sustainable production for local markets. David has networked with the thousands of farmers from around the globe who have gathered at Terra Madre in Turin Italy in both 2006 and 2008 to develop new models of farming that will resist the global domination of corporate agriculture. David also believes that development of renewable energy will offer significant opportunities farmers and rural communities here as it has in Europe. David is also a municipal Councillor in South Frontenac Township. He is also currently the Vice Chair of the Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority.