Taking a Tour of a Maple Sugaring Operation

Day 169.
Taking a Tour of a Maple Sugaring Operation

This time of year something special happens in the Northeastern parts of the United States (and Canada and a few select locations where the weather conditions are right). When the days are warm and the nights are cool in the early spring sap starts to flow from the maple trees. Maple producers gather the sap (often you will see buckets hanging from trees that symbolize the season or more commonly now a tubing network that more efficiently collects the sap) and then they boil it down in an evaporator to remove most of the water and leave behind the sweet maple sugar that becomes real maple syrup. Have you ever wondered what this transformation looks like? I recently paid a visit to my friends Vern Duesler and his sons at Mud Road Sugar House for a tour of their operation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpHAyz0aE5w&list=UUT1YM3wP3OHyE8b10Izq3Yw&index=1

Congratulations to Mud Road Sugar House on 25 years of open houses (held last week) and thanks for showing me around! The last several weeks have been very busy for maple producers in New York as the official maple weekends took place in mid-March, but the season is still very much in full swing, so if you have a chance I encourage you to visit a local maple producer and taste a product that is always a sweet treat!