Maple Syrup Making Demonstration

Come join us at Iowisota to learn how maple syrup is made! This is a Free demonstration and learning opportunity; we will have a free will donation jar out if you want to contribute toward costs of production and take home a bottle of syrup.

Programming/participation: No Cost; We ask for an RSVP so we know how many people we might have. This is a small-volume production, with 25-35 tapped maple trees on-site. You will get to observe and/or participate in the steps of making maple syrup: Setting a tap in a tree, collecting sap from the maple trees, reverse osmosis to remove some of the water, boiling the concentrated sap to remove more water and caramelize the sugars, filtering and bottling. And, of course, tasting! We plan to start the short hike at 1:30, followed by demonstrations of the other steps around 2:15; so if you are not able to do the short walk, feel free to join us a bit later. Sap flow is highly temperature dependent, so weather conditions will affect whether sap is flowing during your visit. We expect that you might want to spend up to 2 hours learning about the various steps.

Owners Dennis and Linda Haugen are both foresters and will explain the process and answer questions about all the steps, including management of the trees. They have been making syrup on-site since 2014, and Linda has known these woods since 1968.

If you would like to do a visit at another time with an after-school or homeschool group, let us know and we can set something up.

Maple syrup (limited quantities available): Suggested donation of $18/pint; bring cash or check. The tastings are free.

Overnight “B&B” immersive stay: If you want to stay overnight during syruping season, reach out to Iowisota through the "Accommodations request form" on the website or email to iowisota@gmail.com, and we'll work out the times and details! More information about the available spaces and costs are also available on the accommodations page.