DOWAGIAC — It can be a long journey for sap from a Dowagiac tree to be turned into fresh maple syrup.

Yet, it is an annual endeavor the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians celebrates each year during sugar bush season. Volunteers step in, come together and tap anywhere from 75 to 100 trees, depending on the season, to create gallons of bottled syrup, maple sugar and candy.

This year, the Pokagon Band will kick-off sugar season with its sixth annual pancake breakfast hosted by the Department of Language and Culture at 10 a.m. Saturday at 59291 Indian Lake Road, Dowagiac. At the breakfast, attendees will hear of volunteer opportunities with the Pokagon Band’s 2020 sugar season.

“It takes a lot of help from our citizens and volunteers in order to make it happen,” said Nicole Holloway, a cultural activities coordinator.

Holloway said the work that comes along with sugar season can be difficult for only one or two people. By hosting the pancake breakfast and inviting the community to try real maple syrup, citizens learn more about how sugar season works. They can also sign up to receive notifications regarding the hours of operation and possible breakout workshops.

During sugar bush season, an evaporator, which is essentially a large wood burning stove with pans located on the top, cooks sap after it is collected from Dowagiac trees.

“Basically, its evaporating all of the water out of the sap in order to make it to where it’s just the sugar content and a little bit of water. That makes it syrup,” Holloway said.

Sugar leads are responsible for going out to the site every day and collecting what sap is available on the trees after they are tapped. On a daily basis, the tribe collects anywhere from 40 to 200 gallons of sap a day, depending on the weather conditions, Holloway said.

Weather is an important variable, she said, as the sap needs to be cooked the same day it is extracted. If sap sits out and gets to a temperature above 32 degrees, bacteria will develop in the sap and eat away at the sugar content.

Cooking the sap requires patience as 60 gallons of collected sap is equivalent to one gallon of maple syrup, Holloway said.

“The process is long, and its hard,” Holloway said. “It also gives you an idea of why maple syrup is so expensive if you buy the real maple syrup.”

Holloway said volunteers will help with stirring the evaporator, which must be constantly stirred, checking sap buckets and emptying them into a larger container to prepare for the cooking process and working in the on-site kitchen to keep the bottling process clean and sanitary.

“It is all food that we are working with, so we do have food grade containers, and we are ServSafe certified, so all those things come into play when you are making sure the kitchen stays safe,” Holloway said.

On average, Holloway said the season has five to 10 volunteers who come out on a daily basis and work for 20 to 40 hours a week.  On the evenings and weekends, other people come and check the site out too, she said.

The season also attracts anywhere from 150 to 200 visitors, including classes from St. Mary’s and Dowagiac High School, who come out to volunteer and learn. The after-school programs offered for the youth in the Pokagon Band also allow children to help out. The Zagbëgon Early Learning and Development Academy also volunteers on a regular basis with the different stages, along with Pokagon government volunteers and people who work with the government.

“Sometimes, a lot of people come out just for the experience and just to see how it’s done,” Holloway said.

So far this season, none of the trees have been tapped because of unseasonably warm weather. However, Holloway remains hopeful after this past weekend brought freezing temperatures.

Those interested in volunteering during sugar bush season can call or text Nicole Holloway at (269) 783-6131.