Tap a tree and what do you get? Well…what looks like water actually. Eric Kelly will lead this workshop to uncover the mystery of tree sugars. When is the sap “running”? How can you capture it? How can we turn that water into syrup? We’ll taste this sweet treat together by tapping and cooking our own. In addition we’ll wander into new territory and taste the syrup from some of our more abundant trees. Birch, Sycamore, Black Walnut and all Maples can be tapped, each offering their own personal signature.

Mangy White Bushman – Eric Kelly:
Eric Kelly, known locally as the “Mangy White Bushman,” is a lifelong, avid naturalist and outdoorsman. He began cultivating a small, 3 acre farm in 2008, and after recovering from a vehicle accident packed up several field guides and gear and attempted his first through hike of the Appalachian Trail with his dog Fritz. While on the trail Eric chose his next directions in life. Upon his return to Baltimore, he became the founder of Charm City Farms, LLC, an initiative within Baltimore to turn unused urban spaces and vacant lots into productive, food-bearing gardens which both serve and engage the local communities while bridging food gaps. Eric is also the founder of Foragers of Baltimore, and Baltimore Bushcraft and Primitive Skills, through which he regularly teaches a variety of local workshops and classes on topics such as wild food foraging, plant uses, holistic orchardry, SPIN farming, composting, worm farming, grafting, beekeeping, mycology, bushcraft & primitive skills, bow making, deer hide tanning, and permaculture.