Maple Weekend!
By: WROC
Updated: June 24, 2008
The New York State Maple Producers Association is comprised of almost 400 of the finest syrup makers in the United States. Our purpose is to increase the production of New York State maple syrup and enhance its sale across the nation.
About 120 maple producers across New York State will be hosting open houses for the public to see maple production. This family-oriented event is sure to delight visitors of all ages.
All participants will be boiling sap into maple syrup and many will demonstrate maple sugar making. Of course, visitors can sample and purchase the maple products. In addition some of the sugarhouses will provide of variety of other activities to make your visit to them even more memorable.
The event is free to the public
Maple Weekend began more than a decade ago when Wyoming County maple producers opened their doors to the public to showcase the production of maple products from tree to table. The first event, known then as Maple Sunday, demonstrated how maple syrup was made by tapping trees, collecting sap and boiling it into syrup. Producers also provided samples and sold maple products to the public.
Now Maple Weekend occurs statewide and the event has grown so much that the maple producers had to add an extra weekend. This year, Maple Weekend will be March 17-18 & 24-25 from 10am - 4pm each day.
The word is spreading about award-winning New York Sate maple syrup, recently named best-tasting in the United States. And while Vermont syrup packers probably won't admit it, New York State Maple Producers often sell bulk syrup to Vermont.
New York State - Fourth Leading Producer of Maple Syrup Worldwide.
In 2006, New York State's approximately 1,500 maple syrup producers made more than 253,000 gallons of syrup according to the New York Agricultural Statistics Service. That was an increase of 14% from 2005. But even with the boost in production only two other states, Vermont and Maine, produced more syrup. Canada is the largest maple syrup producing country in the world.
New York's 1.53 million taps produce enough sap to account for almost 18% of the maple syrup made in the United States. That averages 0.221 gallons of syrup for every tap in the state.
The final value of the 2005 crop, which was down because of poor weather, is estimated at $7.037 million. The crop value for 2006 will be released in June of 2007.
The economic impact of maple production in New York State was an estimated $28.2 million in 2005. According the New England Agricultural Statistics Service, in the year 2005 it took an average of 43 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup.
