Sap-collecting buckets in Brome-Missisquoi, Quebec, Canada

Spring comes tapping. Sweet! It’s maple syrup season

That sweetness in the air is not just the arrival of springtime—maple syrup season has arrived in Quebec. Taps drilled into the maple trees collect oozing sap in buckets like these. The sap is then heated to evaporate excess water, leaving the concentrated sugary syrup—yum. And Canada takes its maple syrup very seriously. Producing about 70 percent of the world’s maple syrup, Quebec even has its own ‘maple syrup cartel,’ which works to keep prices stable and maintains the Global Strategic Maple Syrup Reserve. Now, that’s sticky business.