Move over maple, walnut syrup is the unique sweet topping being made in Essex County
Owners of The Walnut Grove Bed & Breakfast are creating the treat for the 2nd year
It's the time of year when sap is flowing, and a couple in Harrow, Ont. are making a unique variant of the sweet treat.
Owners of The Walnut Grove Bed and Breakfast, Leslie and Bob Meloche, are operating true to their business' name by harvesting sap from black walnut trees to create the syrup.
Leslie said this is just their second year trying the unique product, which takes more than twice as much sap to produce as maple syrup.
"We increased our taps from 50 the year before. This year, we have 100 taps out there. I would say 80 are walnut," she said on CBC's Windsor Morning.
"We really have to double up the production of the walnut in order to gain a decent amount of syrup. Our guests are able to sample that. We do use it in our breakfasts. We use it in our granola and our salad dressings that we do here. It's a labour of love, really."
The syrup is much darker, richer and sweeter than the Maple alternative, said Leslie.
But contrary to what you might expect, it does not taste nutty, she said.
"There's something really, really magical about walking through the woods and tapping the trees, collecting sap every morning and every evening, and I do hug my trees, because I know that they're giving me some of their life blood so," said Leslie.
Leslie said you need more than double the amount of sap to make walnut syrup than what's needed for maple syrup. The trees also drip the sap more slowly.
For those looking to try the syrup, Leslie and her husband Bob invite curious people to come out and help them collect the sap.
They're also hosting a party at their sugar shack Saturday afternoon.