Maple sugaring season in New England is a sure sign that spring is on its way. The sweet smell of pure maple syrup permeates the air as residents and visitors make their way to one or more of the many maple sugar shacks in New England. Generating nearly 500,000 gallons of maple sugar per year, Vermont is the largest producer of maple syrup in New England and in the United States. New Hampshire produces approximately 90,000 gallons of maple syrup per year followed by Massachusetts which produces about 50,000 gallons of maple syrup per year.

Sugaring in New England was first discovered by the Native American Indians, who taught it to New England's first English settlers. The Native American Indians called this candied sap, "sinzibukwod" which translates to "sweet buds". The Indians used maple syrup as an ingredient in their stews, teas, breads, and even vegetables.  Cooking with maple syrup is still popular today. It is used in everything from maple baked beans to maple ice cream.

The process for making syrup hasn't altered much over time. A metal pipe or spile is driven about 2-1/2" deep into the trunk of a Sugar Maple or Hard Maple tree. A bucket is then hung just below the pipe to catch the sap as its flow starts and stops. In order to get a suitable flow, a Sugar Maple's trunk needs to be about 10 to 12 inches in diameter. It usually takes a Maple 40 to 45 years to grow to this girth. Unbelievably, it takes anywhere between 40 to 43 gallons of sap to make just one gallon of pure maple syrup.

Once the sap is collected, it's poured into a large vat or cauldron where it is slowly boiled down into syrup.The sap evolves into syrup when the temperature in the vat reaches 7-1/2 degrees above the boiling point. Essentially all the water is simmered off the top, leaving behind a sugary syrup. This mixture then flows to the front of the vat where the "sugar sand," particles absorbed by the tree, is filtered out. At this point the syrup is ready to be bottled and served. It's a very slow process, but pure, 100% natural, organic maple syrup has an authenticity and texture unmatched by any other. 

Maple sugar season in New England can vary depending on what type of weather the winter season brings. It can run from late February in Southern New England and extend north into late April. Warm days and cold nights make for the best sugaring conditions. The sap flow will start and stop as the temperatures rise above and below freezing.  Forty-degree temperatures during the day and temperatures in the twenties during the night are ideal conditions for maple sugaring. Once the maple buds begin to grow, the season for sugaring is over as the syrup will begin to take on an undesirable taste. So for those of you interested in hitting the sugar shacks, March is the best time for sugaring.

March is Open House Weekend in Vermont. During this event visitors can check out different sugar farms and shacks, see how maple sugar is made, and maybe even try some sugar samples or purchase maple syrup. In April, you can enjoy the Vermont Maple Festival during which sugar farms compete in various competitions for the best syrup and maple sugaring techniques. Visitors have another opportunity to sample and purchase more pure, Vermont maple syrup products.

The Vermont  grading system is pretty simple. Grade A is premium maple syrup. It is available in Light Amber or Fancy, Medium Amber, or Dark Amber. Light Amber is lighter in taste and color and is produced early in the seasons from the first tree drippings. Dark Amber is richer, much darker, and is available toward the end of the sugaring season. Medium Amber falls somewhere in between. Of the three, Light and Medium Amber maple syrup are the consumer favorites. Grade B is the darkest syrup of all and comes at the tail end of the sugaring season. Grade B syrup is mostly used for cooking.

  Sugar Houses in New England:

Connecticut Sugar Houses: Get complete PDF listing of all the maple producers in Connecticut at http://www.ctmaple.org/. Also, each year in March, Connecticut host the Hebron Maple Festival. Here, you can check out pure maple syrup from local Connecticut sugar houses.

Maine Sugar Houses: A directory of Maine maple producers is available at http://www.mainemapleproducers.com/.

Massachusetts Sugar Houses: For a full listing of maple producers in Massachusetts visit http://www.massmaple.org/.

New Hampshire Sugar Houses:  Select from a list of maple producers at http://www.nhmapleproducers.com/. This website offers information about the annual New Hampshire Maple Weekend where over 65 sugar producers come to showcase their maple sugar products and offer free samples.

Rhode Island Sugar Houses: There are not a whole lot of maple producers in Rhode Island, however the RI Department of Agriculture does offer a PDF download that will provide you with a listing of maple syrup and honey producers in Rhode Island.

Vermont Sugar House: Vermont is king when it comes to maple syrup. For a complete listing of Vermont maple producers visit http://vermontmaple.org/. This website will provide you with a plethora of information including Vermont maple syrup events and festivals. If you are in Pittsford, Vermont, be sure to stop by the New England Maple Syrup Museum to learn more about the maple sugaring industry in Vermont.

Written By : Jessica Layne

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