MAKANDA, IL (WSIL) -- Southern Illinois University held the first of two workshops that teach people how to make their own syrup.
More than a dozen folks took part in Touch of Nature's Maple Syrup Demonstration Saturday afternoon in Makanda. There they learned how to identify Maple trees, tap them and gather sap for the syrup production.
Outdoor Education Program Coordinator Sydney Pogue says the hands-on experience teaches individuals everything they need to know to make their own at home.
"They're going to get all the tools that they need and the resources that they need to tap their own trees and make their own syrup at home," says Pogue. "So they can come and enjoy the pancakes at our festival in March, but they can enjoy their pancakes at home all year round if they come down to our workshop and absorb all that knowledge."
Now you still have plenty of time to register for the next Workshop, taking place February 18th. The Maple Syrup Festival is March 25th and 26th.
