Snow began to fall lightly as groups of women hiked around the Robinson Nature Center’s property in Columbia to learn about the art of maple sugaring.

On a brisk Saturday morning, the women took turns drilling holes into maple trees to tap them for their edible sap that eventually can become maple syrup.

While it was cold, it was also the ideal time and weather for tapping trees. It needs to be freezing at night, followed by warmer, sunny days.

Roughly 25 women took part in the Ladies Morning Out — Maple Magic program last Saturday at the nature center, located on Cedar Lane. Some women came with friends, others came alone, and for many, it was their first time.

Michelle Carras wanted to attend because it reminded her of a favorite children’s book series she read multiple times growing up, “The Little House on the Prairie.”

In the first book, “Little House in the Big Woods,” the main character, Laura Ingalls, is introduced to sugar snow, which she later learns is a key part of making delicious maple sugar cakes, now known as maple sugar snow candy.

“The idea of getting that fresh maple syrup and drizzling it on the snow to make the candy … and now being able to see it more closely to what it [maple sugaring] was like, was really cool,” Carras said.

An Ellicott City resident, Carras had never before been to the nonprofit Robinson Nature Center, an 18-acre property with native plants, rain gardens and a wooded trail. But she said she plans to keep a lookout for similar events.

Bundled up in puffy winter coats, gloves, boots and fleece-lined hats, the women started off with a maple syrup taste test. They sampled five syrups, the first meant to stump them. Many called out that it tasted like butter. They were correct, because they didn’t start off trying authentic maple syrup. Instead, they sampled high fructose corn syrup.

Tricks aside, the final four samples were the real stuff from farms in Virginia and Michigan. Dark maple was the crowd favorite.

After tasting and adding some syrup to their reusable coffee mugs, the women were split into two groups to go out and tap a maple tree. On their hike, they also learned about the historical origins of maple syrup derived from indigenous tribes.

Kathryn Jackson, an environmental educator at the center, said Iroquois legend holds that maple syrup was discovered after a chief stuck his tomahawk into a tree after a long day of hunting. When he removed the ax from the tree, it left a gash and water began to spill out from it. Hours later, his wife collected the water, so it wouldn’t go to waste, and used it in stew. After hours of simmering, the stew had a sweet flavor to it and all who ate the meal enjoyed it.

When Emily Rice learned about Ladies Morning Out, she texted it in a group chat with two of her friends and said, “Hey, this could be fun.”

Growing up in northeast Ohio, a big maple sugaring area, Rice is no stranger to the art of creating maple syrup.

Her favorite part of the day was the syrup tasting. She and her friends found plenty of reasons to laugh together all morning.

Rice, an Ellicott City resident, said she’d definitely come back to another Ladies Morning Out event.

“It’s a nice reason to get out of the house and have fun with friends,” she said.