Michaela Woodward – Staff Writer
On Wednesday afternoon, students gathered in the Melva Lind Interpretive Center to learn how to tap maple trees and make maple syrup.
Senior Tessa Johnson is a student worker in the Arboretum and has helped plan the event.
“We [the Arboretum student workers and the Arb Naturalist Scott Moeller] will be teaching students how to tap maple trees and collect the sap from the trees in the Arb. We will also show students how the boiling process to make the syrup works which the Arboretum has already started from the trees that have been tapped so far. At the end we will have a tasting of some fresh syrup along with ice cream and possibly snow as well,” Johnson said.
The trees in the Arb have finally grown enough to be tapped, so naturalist Scott Moeller gets to put his twenty-plus years of maple syruping to use to teach students on campus about the process.
“I’ve been an interpretive naturalist for most of my career, and I’ve always been passionate about helping people connect to nature and learn more about their natural environment. Maple syruping is a really unique activity that gets people outside and connects them to their environment in a new way… it’s a great combination of history, biology, ecology, chemistry, physics, etc… I got into making maple syrup [and teaching others how to do it] around 1999 as a naturalist. Over the last ten years here at Gustavus, I’ve done three or four sessions with the general public showing people how to make maple syrup. This is one of the first times we’ve offered this kind of program just to Gustie students,” Moeller said.
Students did not need a background in any natural science to participate in the event.
“We are hoping students will learn the basics of how to make maple syrup enough so they could do it themselves one day. It is interesting to learn about maple syrup tapping because there are so many different ways of doing it and actually isn’t that complicated to do on your own,” Johnson said.
“We’ll demonstrate how to tap a tree, see/taste the watery sap, demonstrate how we cook/boil the sap, see/smell/taste the nearly finished syrup, then see and taste the finished syrup as a treat. Of course, all along this process we’ll answer any questions that people have about the process,” Moeller said.
While this was the first taste of Gustavus Arboretum maple syrup for students, it hopefully won’t be the last.
“I think we would definitely host an event like this again because it is fun to learn about and nice to get outside and learn how to make some tasty syrup. I think it would be awesome to make maple syruping an annual thing in the Arb and having the students get involved with the process would make it even more special so it becomes a kind of tradition,” Johnson said.
If you couldn’t make it to this event, the Arb still has plenty of upcoming events for students and community members, especially now that the weather is warming up.
“We have a lot of events happening this Spring in the Arb because it is the Arboretum’s 50th Anniversary! We will be having a few bonfires… a few more happening in the weeks following Spring Break. Also after Spring Break, we will have a plant propagation event where students can come and propagate their own plants. Once it starts to get nice we will have a hammocking event, an event to make Harry Potter wands with the whittling club, and at the end of the semester before finals the annual Arboretum campout! The 50th Anniversary Party will be April 28th as well. So keep an eye out for posters and emails with more information,” Johnson said.
While the Arb may be a great venue for these activities, it also is a natural, calm space on campus where students can come to relax in the warmer months ahead.
“The Arboretum is a great place to come and hang out outside especially as the weather gets nicer! There are a lot of places to hammock, study, and play games. We as the Arboretum staff also plan events throughout the year as well so be on the lookout for opportunities to come by and get outside to enjoy the Arboretum,” Johnson said.