Maple Syrup Saturday Date in the current year: March 23, 2024

Maple syrup is made from the sap of some species of maple native to Northeastern North America, primarily the sugar maple (Acer sacchaurum), the black maple (Acer nigrum), and the red maple (Acer rubrum). These maple species store starch in their roots and trunks to survive cold winters; this starch is then converted to sugar in the tree sap.

The Indigenous people of North America were the first to make maple syrup. European settlers adopted the practice and gradually introduced new production methods. Today, maple syrup is produced commercially. The world’s largest producer of maple syrup is the Canadian province of Quebecж. Other Canadian provinces that produce maple syrup are British Columbia, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan. The largest producer of maple syrup in the United States is Vermont. Marketable quantities of maple syrup are also produced in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

Maple syrup is most commonly used as a condiment or topping for pancakes, waffles, French toast, porridge, oatmeal, ice cream, and, somewhat surprisingly, bacon. It can also be used as a sweetener or flavoring agent in baking and various commercially produced foods.

Maple Syrup Saturday is an initiative of Bubolz Nature Preserve in Appleton, Wisconsin. It gives visitors a unique opportunity to learn how maple syrup is made and even collect sap themselves, and for the reserve, which operates as a nonprofit organization, it is an important source of funding. Maple Syrup Saturday consists of two separate events: a pancake breakfast and Adopt-A-Bucket.

The pancake breakfast menu consists of pancakes, eggs, sausage, juice, milk, coffee, and of course homemade maple syrup. The breakfast is followed by a short guided tour around the preserve to learn how the maple syrup is made. Once the tour is over, attendees are treated to a delicious dessert – ice cream sundae with maple syrup topping.

Adopt-A-Bucket is an opportunity to take one’s love of maple syrup to the next level and support the preserve even more. Each family that adopts a bucket taps their own maple tree and hangs their bucket to collect sap during the maple season. It should be noted that the sap and maple syrup produced from it stay at the preserve. The Adopt-A-Bucket program is about environmental education and getting some hands-on experience with sap collecting.

There are ways to get involved with Maple Syrup Saturday even if you can’t take a trip to Bubolz Nature Preserve. You can donate to the preserve, learn more about the maple syrup making process, top your breakfast with maple syrup, and post about the day on social media with the hashtag #MapleSyrupSaturday.

Maple Syrup Saturday should not be confused with National Maple Syrup Day. The latter is observed in the United States and Canada on December 17. Of course, if you love maple syrup, you can and should celebrate both holidays!