Another reason to celebrate the warm winter: maple syrup is flowing early this year

One of the warmest winters in recent memory is apparently making for an early maple syrup season—and some delightfully bad puns from the Toronto Star (“sticky situation,” “sweet combination”… you get the picture). The paper reports that the mild winter has put trees into what one expert called “late-winter mode,” meaning sap has already started flowing through the trees—something that typically doesn’t happen until late February or early March. Some cooler days in mid-February stemmed the flow temporarily, but warmer temperatures in the forecast should have things running again soon. One syrup expert did warn the paper that a quick transition to spring could cut the production season short, making for less syrup. Fortunately, though, this season’s yield is reportedly a “nice, light syrup.” We’re just happy there are experts aplenty devoted to the study and analysis of our magical national condiment. Read the entire story [Toronto Star]»