Who has been to a maple syrup farm?

[weltschmerz]

Originally Posted by Mouldy Old Schmo

Have you visited a maple syrup farm and made maple candy?

Sure, lots of times. The last one I visited had a petting zoo, an old-timey blacksmith and horse-drawn sleigh rides.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Mouldy Old Schmo

The stuff you make when you pour maple syrup on the snow.

OK, I think I would refer to that as "taffy" in English. In French it is "tire sur la neige", or literally taffy on the snow.

The hard maple candies you don't really make when you go to a sugar shack for a party and dinner. But they are for sale in the shop.

[barneyg]

Originally Posted by TOkidd

The famous Canadian chef, Martin Picard, who owns Au Pied de Cochon in Montreal opened up a high-end sugar shack in Quebec and published a cookbook that was a celebration of maple syrup, with recipes, stories and photos. It's a must-see for anyone who loves everything maple.

In the past few weeks, I caught a few of the episodes of the TV show he made about it. Can't say everything he does looks all that good but he sure is a funny and passionate guy

To answer the OP's question -- a trip to the érablière is a very common family activity in the spring all across Quebec. At some places kids get to see how syrup is made, but usually it's just a low-end, greasy meal inside, then outside for taffy on the snow. Food quality may be slowly picking up with initiatives like Picard's but on the whole, it's an experience that increasingly out-of-sync with the rest of the Quebec culinary experience (other than poutine I guess).

[weltschmerz]

To answer the OP's question -- a trip to the érablière is a very common family activity in the spring all across Quebec. At some places kids get to see how syrup is made, but usually it's just a low-end, greasy meal inside, then outside for taffy on the snow. Food quality may be slowly picking up with initiatives like Picard's but on the whole, it's an experience that increasingly out-of-sync with the rest of the Quebec culinary experience (other than poutine I guess).

It's the quinessential Quebecois experience, and I suspect it will be around for a long, long time.