The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is scheduled to offer several free programs during February teaching methods for making syrup.
A news release says MDC’s Burr Oak Woods Nature Center in Blue Springs and the Anita B. Gorman Discovery Center in Kansas City both have syrup-making programs on tap.
MDC’s Burr Oak Woods Nature Center is scheduled to teach maple sugaring in two 90-minute sessions on Saturday, Februray 20. Participants can choose between a session starting at 11 a.m. or one beginning at 1:30 p.m. All ages are welcome. Registration is required.
Burr Oak Woods also is scheduled to offer maple sugaring classes on Saturday, February 27. Those 90-minute classes also are scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. or 1:30 p.m. All ages are welcome, and registration is required.
MDC’s Gorman Discovery Center will host Urban Woodsman outdoor skill sessions on Saturday, February 20, that will include syrup making. Taste tests may be offered for maple and other syrups such as walnut. One-hour demonstration sessions will begin at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m., and 1:30 p.m. Also on display will be fire building, wood splitting and campfire cooking skills. These sessions are for ages 10 and older. Registration is required.
A virtual Sap-to-Syrup cooking program is set to be offered from 10 to 11 a.m. on Wednesday, February 10, from the demonstration kitchen of the Gorman Discovery Center. Steve Jacobsen, assistant manager, will lead the session. Participants will get tips on techniques for boiling sap into syrup. This program is for ages 10 and older. Registration is required.
Discovery Center also is scheduled to offer in-person Sap-to-Syrup cooking programs on Friday, February 26, and Saturday, February 27. MDC staff will be boiling tree sap into syrup and will discuss how participants can make syrup at home. These hour-long sessions will start at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on both days. This program is for ages 10 and older. Registration is required.
COVID-19 safety precautions and protocols will be followed by staff and visitors at these programs, including physical distancing and face masks. Most programs are being held outdoors.
Participants should dress accordingly for winter weather. Registered participants will be notified if severe weather forces a cancellation or postponement.
To register for any of these programs, visit the MDC events page for the Kansas City region, <https://short.mdc.mo.gov/Z6L>.