In Canada, the winter is very cold.
When spring comes, the weather gets warmer.
The days are warm, but the nights are still freezing.
This is the perfect time to make sweet maple syrup.
First, Canadian farmers find big sugar maple trees.
The trees must be old and strong.
The farmers drill a small hole into each tree trunk.
They put a little tube called a tap into the hole.
Next, the sweet sap starts to drip out.
It looks like clear water.
It tastes just a little bit sweet.
The farmers hang buckets on the trees to catch the drips.
Some farmers use long plastic tubes to collect the sap instead.
Then, the farmers take the sap to a special cabin.
This place is called the sugar shack.
Inside, they pour the sap into big, flat pans.
They boil the sap over a very hot fire.
As the sap boils, the water goes away into the air as steam.
The sap gets thicker and darker.
Soon, it turns into sweet, golden maple syrup.
It takes many buckets of sap to make just one bucket of syrup!
Finally, the warm syrup is put into bottles.
It is ready for you to eat.
You can pour the sweet syrup on your pancakes and waffles.
It is a yummy treat from the forest.
