Maple Syrup Season in Minnesota

March can be a tough month to be outside. The snow is melting so we can't play in it, it's still cold, and most of the month is gloomy, muddy and slushy, and spring seems a long way away.

There is one good reason to be outside in March: collecting maple syrup. Minnesota doesn't produce anything like as much maple syrup as Canada or Vermont but weather conditions here are just right to tap our maple trees for sap. The season is very short, just a couple of weeks in March, the actual length is dependent on the weather.

State, county parks and nature centers in Minneapolis, St. Paul and around the Twin Cities are holding maple syrup events for children and families to learn about the process of tapping maple syrup trees, collecting sap, and boiling the sap to make syrup. Guides lead hikes to maple trees, explain the equipment used, and the history of maple syrup. And of course, sample maple syrup.

If you can't make it to one of the events, cook up some pancakes this month and cover them in Minnesota-grown maple syrup. Minnesota maple syrup farms sell their syrup online and in local retailers like Kowalski's and many co-ops around the Twin Cities.

• Maple Syrup Events in the Twin Cities
• Minnesota Maple Syrup Farms (scroll down to the bottom)