Tapping into fresh Maple

Tapping maple trees for syrup is time-sensitive, so you don't want to miss your window

SPARTA, Wis (WKBT) – Everything tastes better when it’s done locally, and by hand.

Beth Leis’s family runs Heritage Hill Farm in Sparta.

Their neighbors, the Ronke family, have been tapping trees for maple syrup for years and decided to involve the Leis kids a few years back.

It may have just started out as a little fun, but it may be becoming a full-blown hobby.

Tapping maple trees for syrup is time-sensitive, so you don’t want to miss your window.

“Traditionally Maple trees are tapped in the spring, early spring. So, mid-February is probably the earliest that we’ve ever tapped them. The Season runs can run into late March, maybe into April. It just depends on when your trees bud out and when the sap stops flowing,” said Beth Leis, who owns Heritage Hill Farm.

Even though collecting is easier, the process teaches one important virtue, patience.

“It’s a lot of waiting, to make the syrup, a lot of waiting,” said 11-year-old Hayden Leis.

You can find some of their homemade maple products at their store in Sparta.

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