ST. JOSEPH -- Maple syrup season is just around the corner. Maple syrup tours begin Saturday at Kraemer Lake-Wildwood County Park.

This year's kick off event is the snowshoe stomp, Saturday from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., you can make snowshoe trails in the woods. Free snowshoes are available at the park but only a limited number are available.

The Maple Syrup Operation Open Houses will be later in the season with the first one on Saturday, March 18th and the second on Saturday, April 1st.  Both open houses run from 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

To get the sweet and sticky liquid out of the trees collectors use vacuum lines and pumps as well as good old fashioned buckets. Around 16,000 gallons of sap from over 600 trees are cooked with a wood-fire evaporator to make nearly 400 gallons of maple syrup.

More From AM 1240 WJON