It’s Maple Weekend in New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire. For the folks who run maple farms, this time of year means long, long days (and nights) at work. For the rest of us, it means gorging on pancakes and maple candy and getting a chance to see the whole process up close.
If you’ve never been to visit a maple farm, you might not realize that when trees are tapped, the stuff that comes out isn’t thick and sweet — it’s more like ice water than syrup.
It has to be boiled down to make the sticky syrup we love on our pancakes. Stepping into the sugar shack, where they do that boiling, is like being covered in a big maple blanket on a March morning.
Here at the Parker Family Maple Farm in West Chazy, workers will put up about 6,000 gallons of syrup before the season ends. Spring is always slow to arrive in Northern New York, but this is one of the sure signs that it’s finally on the way.
If the sap is running, it must be spring.
I would so burn myself if I worked there.
There’s still plenty of snow around, but we did step in a puddle or two today as well. There’s hope!
Funny you should mention that. I got so close trying to smell the boiling sap that one of the maple guys had to move me back.
Kate, thanks for these images. This is one event that I’ve never had the opportunity to see, but it’s high on my list of things to do. Someday…
I love your blog. It makes me feel like I’m in 5th grade again!
Sugar On Snow parties aren’t far behind!! Some farms in Vermont still collect the sap the old fashioned way
Collecting Sap-Fairfield-Don Lockhart
What a great blog! Thanks for entering my book giveaway contest. I was so afraid no one would enter:)
bookbabie