Making maple syrup
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Jeffrey Donahue pours maple sap into the hands of Roshen Senphilkumar, 8, for a taste during a tour at Mingo Creek County Park March 16.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Jeffrey Donahue, superintendent of Washington County Parks and Recreation, talks about tree tapping with a hollowed-out stick during the tour at Mingo Creek County Park.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Jeffrey Donahue uses a hydrometer to test the process of boiling down sap to syrup during a tour March 16 at Mingo Creek County Park.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Participants walk through Mingo Creek County Park on March 16.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Sisters Chloe Brumbaugh, 9, left, and Ana Brumbaugh, 11, of Venetia enjoy pancakes made with maple syrup from the trees at Mingo Creek County Park.
On a wet, cold morning March 16, nature enthusiasts laced up their boots for an educational hike among the sugar bush at Mingo Creek County Park.
Jeffrey Donahue, superintendent of Washington County Parks and Recreation, gave a historical demonstration starting with American Indians to more modern-day sap collecting methods, including evaporation techniques, as part of the process of turning maple tree sap into 100 percent pure maple syrup.
Participants had the opportunity to taste collected sap. At the end of the tour, pancakes were served with fresh maple syrup. It takes approximately 40 liters of sap to make one liter of syrup.