Maple Weekend Days Away
By: Ashley Zilka
Updated: March 14, 2013
Maple syrup production is in full-force with Maple Weekend only three days away.
Maple producers are busy tapping trees and stringing miles of tubing to collect this year's maple sap. Once that's done, it's time to boil the sap down.
Several gallons of syrup can be made with an evaporator every hour and unlike last year, maple season looks promising for those businesses.
"Versus last year, we are ahead of production and I think that's true with most producers in the Maple Belt. The Maple Belt, being the areas in the Eastern United States where trees are capable of producing sap for syrup," said Greg Keyes, Owner of Trout Brook Sugarhouse.
Greg Keyes is the owner of Trout Brook Sugarhouse. He is one of the many producers that can thank the recent weather for the uptick in production. That's great news for the state since almost 20 percent of maple syrup in the United States is made right here in New York.
"The temperatures have been a little bit more consistent of late and we had that decent pattern of the freeze-thaw cycles that have allowed syrup to be made," said Greg Keyes.
Since there's more than 120 maple producers that are taking part in Maple Weekend, you can expect to see tourists all over Western New York. That's a few more profitable weeks left in the 2013 season.
"I like to think we got at least three weeks of good sap production ahead of us and that will take us to the beginning of April," said Keyes.
Keyes says people can tour Trout Brook Sugarhouse and learn the process of making maple syrup. There's also maple syrup taste sampling!
Maple Weekend will be March 16-17 and 23-24 this year.
To find a maple producer near you, go to http://www.nysmaple.com
Maple producers are busy tapping trees and stringing miles of tubing to collect this year's maple sap. Once that's done, it's time to boil the sap down.
Several gallons of syrup can be made with an evaporator every hour and unlike last year, maple season looks promising for those businesses.
"Versus last year, we are ahead of production and I think that's true with most producers in the Maple Belt. The Maple Belt, being the areas in the Eastern United States where trees are capable of producing sap for syrup," said Greg Keyes, Owner of Trout Brook Sugarhouse.
Greg Keyes is the owner of Trout Brook Sugarhouse. He is one of the many producers that can thank the recent weather for the uptick in production. That's great news for the state since almost 20 percent of maple syrup in the United States is made right here in New York.
"The temperatures have been a little bit more consistent of late and we had that decent pattern of the freeze-thaw cycles that have allowed syrup to be made," said Greg Keyes.
Since there's more than 120 maple producers that are taking part in Maple Weekend, you can expect to see tourists all over Western New York. That's a few more profitable weeks left in the 2013 season.
"I like to think we got at least three weeks of good sap production ahead of us and that will take us to the beginning of April," said Keyes.
Keyes says people can tour Trout Brook Sugarhouse and learn the process of making maple syrup. There's also maple syrup taste sampling!
Maple Weekend will be March 16-17 and 23-24 this year.
To find a maple producer near you, go to http://www.nysmaple.com
