Why are Sugar Shacks so popular in Canada?

Most likely, you’ve heard of sugar shacking, the baffling springtime tradition we take part of every year in Canada? If you’ve ever wondered what a sugar shack or “cabane à sucre” actually is and what really happens at these most festive gatherings, then keep reading.

What’s a sugar shack? A sugar shack is a small wooden house constructed to produce maple syrup in the middle of the maple forest. In celebration of the maple harvest, several sugar shacks often have maple-filled festivals, to which tourists gather to welcome spring or simply to explore the different tastes of this golden nectar.

Sugar shacks are popular because of Mother Nature, which is very powerful in Canada. You see, sugar maple trees enjoy cold winters and the trees need cold nights and warm sunny days in order for the sap to run in the spring, which is exactly what there is in the Québec province.

Although there are ten species of maple trees native to Canada, it is generally accepted that Québec produces the best maple syrup. Around 80% of the world’s pure maple syrup is produced by Canada alone. In 2016, approximately 71% of global output was produced by Québec.

How did it start?

French colonists discovered that every spring, indigenous people made maple sugar as a high-calorie food that would get them through the difficult winter months. The colonists improved on the primitive process of tapping maple trees and crystallizing maple sugar with the help of their technology, which was the most efficient way of storing the precious sap. The sugar was then broken down into slices and melted over dishes.

It was no accident that Canada chose the maple leaf as its national symbol. Maple trees can be found in every province from coast to coast.

How is it made?

Maple sap is harvested by drilling holes and inserting a spout into each cavity of the maple trunks. Traditionally, buckets were hanging on the spouts to collect the dripping sap, and were poured on horse-drawn sleighs into barrels, which transported the sap to the sugar shack.

Today, most maple manufacturers use a tubing network linked to any tap hole. In the sugar shack, the sap is vacuum-pumped directly to the evaporator. Nothing is added to create a rich syrup. The water is simply evaporated from the sap. In order to produce one litre of pure syrup, one must gather about 40 litres of sap.

Where to go for the ultimate sugar shack experience?

I had the opportunity to visit the Fulton’s Pancake House & Sugar Bush, and was pleasantly surprised. It’s the perfect place to enjoy all things maple syrup. You will certainly have a sugar rush from the pancakes to the taffy until you get home. Plus, at the Maple Store, you can purchase some pure and organic maple syrup to take home. From maple candy to maple luscious bath and body care, the shop offers a range of maple treats, you are sure to leave smelling like maple.

This 120-seat Maple House Restaurant serves fresh pancakes with their own organic Fulton’s maple syrup is included in the Sugar Bush. Fluffy biscuits, gluten-free waffles, vegetarian maple baked beans and maple desserts are some of the many amazing breakfast meals served! Located between Pakenham and Almonte, Ontario, Fulton’s Pancake House & Sugar Bush is a multi-generational, 400-acre farm that has been producing maple syrup since 1840.

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