Let’s Make Maple Syrup Live! #SugaringWithLex 2022
You may have visited a Cabane au Sucre, but did you know you can make maple syrup at home? I do it every year, and for the last 3, I’ve been live streaming it under #SugaringWithLex
It’s been a weird couple of years with the pandemic and just as lockdown hit, I was starting the 2020 Maple Syrup season. So I decided, why not play with live streaming so my friends who sometimes came up to help make maple syrup, could participate from the comfort of warm, dry, comfortable couches. Now they can watch me in the snow, wind, mud, weather as I tapped the trees, collected the maple sap and build big roaring fires to boil it down and make maple syrup.
Honestly, we had some of our best years when I was here doing all the heavy lifting mostly alone. But it makes for good “tv” as they say.
The first year, 2020, I just tested live streaming on Facebook to my friends and family. WOW, what a response I got! So for the 2021 Maple Season, I decided to test out Instagram Live. Well, that didn’t work as well for me. The tech didn’t work as well, people had a hard time following and getting alerts… it was messy. So I went back to Facebook and streamed on my unsweetened.ca facebook page. I got great stats and lots of people sitting in and joining me.
Uping My Content Game in 2022 while I Make Maple Syrup
This year, 2022, I decided it was time to up my game. The pandemic has hit us heavily financially, as it has many others, with clients not paying their bills, but my bills still mounting. So I decided to see what I could do about getting Sugaring With Lex live on a platform with a new audience and a built-in monetization model. No guarantees that this would work, but if you have the time (see the note above) why not use it to try new things, push boundaries and learn? (Answer: jump in with both feet!! As I always do)
So this year I’m live streaming on Twitch! I’ve tied the account to this blog so you can find me at unsweetenedCA, that way when sugaring season is done, I can still live stream recipes and other adventures. Because, there are lots of fun recipes to share, and adventures to be had!
Don’t worry, the live streaming is a lot less chaotic and manic than that image up there. I’m way better at talking than graphic design! Hell, I’m better at almost everything than graphic design.
unsweetenedCA Live Streaming Schedule – as we make maple syrup
Right now, I’m usually live streaming twice a day – around 9am every morning and sometime around 4:30-5 in the afternoon.
Morning Livestream
Depending on how the sap is flowing the morning broadcast can be a quick 15 minute walk around checking the trees and visiting horses, OR it can be well over an hour as I check the taps, build a fire, cook breakfast and get the maple sap on to boil.
Afternoon Livestream
Usually, the late afternoon live stream is a quick summary of the day and how much sap we’ve collected, how much syrup we’ve produced, and what to expect tomorrow.
Sometimes, I’ll pop on early to share the excitement of maple sap turning the corner and becoming maple syrup. It’s exciting to watch it boil and that transition.
Other times, I’ll just be tending the fire and share that with you.
Occasionally, I’ll have you join me in the kitchen as I prepare dinner. Something from the recipes here on unsweetened.ca, one of the #FarmFarmBistro specialties I’ve been working on for the last 3 years, or a newly developed recipe from one of my Chef friends using Maple Syrup or Maple Sap. Maybe even for a quick maple cocktail. (More on that later, yes this IS a teaser)
Join me as I make maple syrup
If you want to join in, and I’d love it if you did, just go to twitch.tv/unsweetenedCA. If you create an account, (they are free), and follow me, you will be notified when I go live. And I will get closer to the threshold number of followers I need in order to turn on monetization options on my account. (So please, create an account and encourage your twitcher friends to follow me!)
But why?
Honestly, watching fire is good for the soul. I try and squeeze in some education, some beautiful views and a little bit of Pixie bouncing around and being playful. Oh, and I have a lovely sooooooooooothing voice.
Here are some of the kind and amazing things people have said about Sugaring With Lex:
Why not join in the fun and see what I get up to in March every year, up close and personal.
