According to the history listed with the Minnesota Conservation Volunteer publication and Minnesota Historical Society, hundreds of years ago, American Indians used natural signs, not thermometers, to tell them when it was time to start making syrup. For example, when the crows and eagles started to return to Minnesota from their winter grounds, the Ojibwe Indians knew that the sap would soon start flowing, so they moved their damps to the sugar bush.
Further history lists Maple syrup and sugar among the first foods exported from the United States. European explorers in the 1600s brought back reports of the native people collecting sap and cooking it to make maple syrup and sugar. Soon, fur traders and other Europeans were trading cloth, metal pots, and other goods for maple products.
Although technology has changed some of the way maple syrup is made, the simplicity of the process remains much the same. Every spring Katie Chapman, Director of Environmental Education at Shetek Lutheran Ministries, offers interested individuals the opportunity to learn this process.
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