Sweet March

Posted By: Deb K. Feb 20, 2012 @ 02:53 PM | Comment (0)

Ulster County's sweet season is about to arrive! It begins when the nights are still below freezing, but the days are regularly above 40 degrees. What I'm talking about is maple sugar time. If you've never participated in a maple sugar event, this is the year to finally enjoy this early springtime tradition.

By mid February (yes, even in this mild winter), I'm anxiously awaiting spring. So I always jump on the opportunity to journey back in time to enjoy the tradition of turning sap into syrup. It's the first spring crop.

Standing in the midst of a sugarbush - that's what a large group of maple trees are called - you can actually hear the rhythmic dripping of the sap as it drips into the buckets. This is a process that hasn't changed much over time. Someone has to go out every day to collect the sap. Then it gets boiled down and caramelized to produce the delicious maple syrup we all love. And it takes more than 40 gallons of maple tree sap to produce one gallon of pure maple syrup.

Tramping through the woods with a few good friends while the weather is still brisk; sitting in the sugarhouse taking in the smell of maple sugar; this is how the sweet change from winter to spring takes place.
So where can you join in on a maple sugar event? Here are a few finds:

Maple Fest at Ashokan Center
Olivebridge
March 5
9 am - 4 pm
Learn the history of syrup making and taste ‘jack wax' - a combination of hoy maple syrup and snow. Throughout the day, you'll find live music colonial crafts and nature walks as well as maple syrup-inspired food and drink.

Mohonk Preserve Kids' Day in the Sugarbush
Gardiner
March 6
1-3 pm
845-255-0919
Join the Longbothams, a family of Mohonk Preserve volunteers, for a short hike and a sweet treat as you join in the fun of maple sugaring. Be ready to tromp through the snow or mud, help out in the sugarbush, and learn how to make syrup just like generations of families have done. Children ages 4 and up are welcome. This program includes an easy, 1-mile hike. Wear boots and warm clothing.

Maple Sugaring at Frost Valley
Claryville
March 19 & 20 & March 26 & 27
9 am - 5 pm
845-985-2291
Visitors to the Maple Sugar House will experience all the elements of sugaring including a snowy forest hike, brisk mountain air, melting snow, the scents of good soil, swelling buds, tapping trees, collection of sweet sap, the heat of a good wood fire, the steam of evaporating water and the sweet taste of arriving at 67 percent sugar content maple syrup. Free tours run every half hour at the Maple Sugar House. Frost Valley's Maple Weekends give families a way to experience maple sugar season firsthand. Learn to identify a good sugar maple tree, tap the tree, boil sap to make delicious maple syrup and traditional sapping techniques to modern day practices.

Maple Sugaring Program at Forsyth Nature Center
Kingston
March 24
11 am - noon
845-339-3053
The nature center will host a demonstration sap house that will teach visitors the maple sugaring process from start to finish, including history, tapping, collection, storage, processing and - most importantly - eating. The education program is free and open to the public. It takes place entirely outdoors, so be sure to dress warmly.

Lyonsville SugarHouse
Accord
Sap house open 2-7 pm Fridays for local farm products mid-February through early April
(845) 687-2518

For those who would rather buy their maple syrup, here are a few farm markets:

The Apple Bin
Ulster Park
Open from early March through December

Adams Fairacre Farms
Kingston
Open year round