Saturday February 6, 2010

10:00 am - 4:30 pm

Taste maple syrup from Vancouver Island at the Bigleaf Maple Syrup Festival!

Visitors are invited to participate in mini-workshops facilitated by experienced maple syrup producers, including tapping demonstrations, presentations, and displays. This year's event features cooking with local maple syrup and maple food will be available.  The festival features a maple syrup competition with judging by celebrity chefs from Vancouver Island. The evaporator will be running all day so visitors can savour the warm maple aroma of sap and see how syrup is made.

Dance to musical entertainment provided by Shelley and Shannon Smiley from 11:00 am - 3:00 pm and the museum's train will be running from 10:30-3:30.  The Bigleaf Maple Syrup Festival is unique on Vancouver Island. This event is about the local maple syrup industry and is the only festival where visitors can find out how local maple syrup is made. You will leave the event ready to tap your own backyard trees!

A special admission rate of $5 for everyone is offered, and includes train rides and a taste of local maple syrup provided by the Sapsuckers, a group of local maple syrup producers. Members may use their season's pass.  Tickets may be purchased in advance at the BC Forest Discovery Centre before Friday, February 5 (available Monday to Friday from 9:00 am - 4:00 pm).

Bigleaf Maple Syrup Festival Schedule:

Explore the sights and aromas of syrup making

Evaporator:       
10:00 am - 4:30 pm     

Find out more about maple tapping

Tapping Demonstrations:   
Every 20 minutes from 10:20 am - 3:20 pm  
Approximately 15 minutes long

Maple Syrup Presentations
Approximately 15 minutes long
 

10:30     Maple Tapping Basics 101 (Gary & Katherine Backlund)

11:00     Natural History of the Bigleaf Maple (Jay Rastogi)

11:30     Maple Tapping Basics 101 (Katherine Backlund)

12:00     Choosing the best trees to tap ( Jay Rastogi)

12:30    Maple Syrup Competition Awards Ceremony

1:00        Maple Tapping Basics 101 (Katherine Backlund)

1:30        Evaporators and equipment (Gary Backlund & Lawrence Lampson)

2:00        Maple Tapping Basics 101 (Jay Rastogi & Katherine Backlund)

2:30        Finishing Syrup (Gary Backlund)

3:00        Maple Tapping Basics 101 ( Jay Rastogi & Katherine Backlund)

3:30        Forum – tips and techniques for making great tasting syrup ( Gary Backlund, Norm Bumstead, Lawrence Lampson, Jay Rastogi & guests)
 

Maple Syrup Tasting Workshop*
with Mara Jernigan from Fairburn Farm

11:00 am & 1:00 pm

*only 30 seats available in each workshop.  Participants must sign up in advance (the sign up sheet will be put up on the schoolhouse door at 10:00 am).  Children under the age of 18 are not permitted.

Taste Local Maple Syrup
10:00 pm - 4:00 pm      

    
Maple Syrup Competition Awards  
12:30 pm

Train Rides     
10:30 pm - 3:30 pm every half hour  

Menu

10:00 pm - 4:30 pm

Maple baked beans
Maple pulled pork
Vanilla yogurt with maple granola
Fudge brownie with maple icing

Hot dogs with maple mustard
Maple muffins and cookies
Popcorn & nachos
Hot chocolate/coffee
Pop/juice/water

To find out more about the West Coast maple syrup industry or to look for tasty recipes in our Maple Cookbook, please click here.