Maple syrup season teaching kids where food comes from

It's maple syrup season in Windsor-Essex as trees are ready to deliver the sweet stuff.

The Essex Region Conservation Authority said one of the first signs of spring is when it is time to harvest sap from maple trees, and it's inviting kids to learn how the product was traditionally made.

Trees get tappedso the sap flows out from deep inside the tree and into a bucket. The sugary fluid is then boiled for a long time to get evaporate much of the water, leaving behind the sticky, popular syrup that's an icon for Canada. ERCA said the tradition began with First Nations people in Canada.

At theJohn R. Park Homestead Conservation Area, costumed guides will be teaching students and other groups about the pioneer way to make the sweet stuff.

But the season is very short only a few weeks depending on the weather.