This weekend is Maple Open House Weekend in Vermont. That means that you can combine skiing with a visit to a sugarhouse and see how they make that sticky, sweet stuff. Check <link http: www.vermontmaple.org external-link-new-window external link in new>this site for details on where to go during the March 28-30 weekend. If you see a sugarhouse with steam billowing from it, check for a open house sign out front and then head on in!
Today's Burlington Free Press quoted some Vermont maple producers who were lamenting the weather. They say it has been too cold at night to really make the sap run during the day. And now with April approaching, they are worried their season may be short. Only time will tell. But what this article says to me is that I better visit a sugarhouse this weekend and get my syrup before it's gone!
Each year I like to visit a different sugarhouse. They each have their own vibe. One year we found a place where everyone in an extended family was helping make syrup and greet guests. Grandma was sitting by the wood-fed evaporator with an afghan on her lap. It was very quaint.
Another year we found some 30-somethings who were friends who got together to make syrup each year. At each site we could ask some questions about the process and try a bit of their syrup.
Did you know that Vermont is the largest producer of maple syrup in the United States, producing about 37 percent of the total U.S. crop? Every county in the state produces some maple syrup and all told, it is estimated that we have 2,000 maple producers in the state. They make about 500,000 gallons of syrup a year. Heck, that's nearly a gallon for every Vermonter! Sweet.
There's still a lot of snow up here in the mountains of northern Vermont. We may head to Stowe for some skiing this weekend. I'll be sure to let you know how it is.
