13 Maple Everything

Inspired by “Maple Nation: A Citzenship Guide” in Braiding Sweetgrass

Have you ever wondered where that sweet, savory liquid that you put on your pancakes comes from? It may come from Mapleville. Mapleville is a small town in central Canada, and it is the Maple capital of the world. Here is the story of a little girl and the love for her town!

In the giant country of Canada, there is a small town known as Mapleville. It is the Maple capital of the world. In this small town, there is one family that lives and breathes everything Maple. They are known as the Johnson family. The family is made up of 4 members. The father of the family is Jim, and he is the mayor of the town. His lovely wife is Jennifer, and she is the teacher at Little Maples, the daycare in town. The heart of the family is little Jess who is a rambunctious and curious 7-year-old girl. Last but not least is their new 8-month-old son, Jack!

They are very active in their community, and Jess is always asking her parents questions about the town’s history and all the things going on in Mapleville. One day, Mr. Johnson came home and told the family at dinner that The News was coming into town to interview him about Mapleville. Jess had so many questions, “Are they going to have cameras? What are they going to ask you? What are you going to tell them? Are you going to be on tv?” Mr. Johnson laughed and replied, “Calm down, Jess. This is where I could use your help. I was thinking you could go on a scavenger hunt all around town and find all the different things we use our famous maple trees for.” Jess jumped with joy, “Oh boy! Oh Boy! A scavenger hunt! That sounds like so much fun!” Mr. Johnson chuckled and said, “I will drive you around after school tomorrow, and we will find all the maple items we can!”

The next day at school, Jess could barely keep her composure waiting for school to get out! When the final bell rang, she jolted out of the class and flew out to the car line to find her dad. She hopped in the car and burst with excitement, “Hurry dad Hurry! Let’s go on a scavenger hunt!” Her father began driving, and they made their first stop at the bakery. When they went inside, the head baker came out to talk to them. “Hey Johnsons! How are you today?” Said the baker. “We are on a scavenger hunt!” Yelled Jess. Then Mr. Johnson asked the baker to explain all the things they use maple for at the bakery. After the bakery, they made their way to the supermarket where Jess was able to roam the aisles and find all the maple treats and uses. She saw maple wood chips, maple candy, maple seasoning, maple firewood, and so much more! After the store they made one the last stop, and it was the most important of them all, they made it to the world’s largest Syrup factory! “Do you know where we are, Jess?” asked her father. “Yes, we are at the most important place in town, the syrup factory” shouted Jess. They took a tour and watched the extravagant process, and Jess was in awe!

When they got home later that night, Jess couldn’t wait to tell her mom what they saw. “We went to the bakery and saw all the donuts and cakes and all the maple goodies, then we went to the supermarket and ran up and down the aisles looking at the maple treats, and last we saw the syrup factory it was so much fun” said Jess.

A little later Mr. Johnson walked in and said, “Well Jess, I think I’m ready for my interview! Thank you for all your help!” But when he turned to look, Jess was fast asleep after her busy afternoon in Mapleville.