Page 24 - MARCH2022

Page 24
NEWFOUNDLAKELIFE.COM
Sweet Things Are Coming Soon To A Maple Sugar Shack Near You
March 2022
By Donna RhoDes
March is Maple Month in New Hampshire and for anyone who has wondered how that de- licious syrup makes its way to a stack of pancakes, this is the time to drop by a local sugar house and learn more about the time and intensive labor of love that goes into making it.
For more than a hundred years people have watched the weather and kept an eye on the maple trees of New England to determine when the sap will start to run so they can gather some of its sweetness. Begin- ning rustically with taps and galvanized buckets the trade has now moved on to the use of greater technology to extract as much sap as possible and deliver it to their “sugar shack.” There, wood fired stoves begin the pro- cess of boiling it down until it becomes the syrup we all know and love.
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Close to home in the New-
found Region people will find several places they can drop by during Maple Weekend on March 19 and 20. Participating members of the annual NHMA celebration include Walker’s Sugar House at Walker Farm in Bristol, Brookside Maple in Ashland, Bucklin’s Sugar House in Alexandria, Grandpa’s Sugar Barn in Danbury, Just Maple in Tilton, Monti’s Maple Farm as well as Benton’s Sugar Shack in Thornton where the Benton family also serves breakfast each weekend in their rustic restau- rant on Rte. 175.
There are dozens more sugar house destinations throughout the state to explore and those interested in learning more can find addresses, web sites and contact information for the upcoming Maple Weekend at www.nhmapleproducers.com.
March is here and that means old-time buckets such as these, along with more modern sap lines, will be gathering sap from maple trees as local sugar shacks get ready for Maple Weekend on March 19-20. Photo Donna Rhodes
Maple Producers Association (NHMPA) hosts a weekend of open houses every March in conjunction with their more than 350 registered sugar pro- ducers throughout the state.
some of the goodies available that weekend are maple can- dies, maple donuts, maple mus- tard (great for dipping pretzels), maple breads, and maple cotton candy. And of course each sugar shack has decorative bottles and
how sap is gathered, boiled and
made into many delicious treats.
Over Maple Weekend each
sugar producer also has their
own products that can not only
be purchased, but in some cases
even sampled beforehand.
invited to come by and learn Depending on the business, traditional jugs of their own
At each location, visitors are
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