Page 9 - MARCH2023

March 2023 NEWFOUNDLAKELIFE.COM Page 9 Community Maple Weekend in March Offers a Sweet Way to Get Over the Winter Blues
By Donna RhoDes
been harvesting sap and boiling
The 2023 Maple Weekend it down for more than 17 years.
is scheduled for March 18-19. Those who have spent any
His end product is then used to
Over that weekend, the public is time in New Hampshire during
the month of March know that
not only bottle his maple syrup
invited to stop by any of the loca- but use it in the making of other
tions listed on their websites not it’s a great time of year when,
maple products. Over the years,
only to purchase maple products, after a long cold winter, the sun
begins to shine brighter. Tem-
he has studied the science of sap-
such as syrup, candies, maple ping and upgraded his collection
mustard, donuts, and much more peratures start to rise, all culmi-
process at the three large maple
but learn more about the actual nating in the flow of sap through
the abundance of maple trees
orchards he taps in order to make
process of turning sap into syrup. it more efficient.
The N.H. Maple Producer’s throughout the state and signal-
Association Web site, nhmaple- ing the onset of spring.
“It used to take me up to nine
hours to collect the sap, but tub-
Due to that natural occur-
producers.com, not only lists ing and vacuum pumps have cut
rence, the New Hampshire
statewide sugar shacks people Maple Producers Association
can visit and support this month that way down,” Robie said.
Sap is running a bit early this year, and as a result, maple producers
Tubes running from tree to
but also has an educational color- like Brett Robie of Alexandria have been busy setting up their
promotes Maple Weekend each
tree are strung to run down to
ing page for children and a host equipment, hauling sap to boil in their sugar shacks, and prepping
March, encouraging the public
for the statewide 2023 Maple Weekend, which will take place March
to visit the state’s many maple
of delicious recipes people can a central collection tank mak-
18-19. Photo by Donna Rhodes
ing the job much easier than the
producers, where they can learn
download. Among those are rec- days when people snow-shoed
more about this age-old tradition
ipes for Maple Mustard, Maple and squirrels will chew the lines,
The winter of 2022-23 has
of turning sap into a delicious
Barbecued Spare Ribs, Ma- too,” he said. “You just have to
been mild, and that started sap
through the maple groves, dump-
go out and find out where the
flowing a bit earlier than usual.
ing the sap into their buckets and
tabletop and cooking condiment.
ple-Orange Glazed Vegetables, then sliding it on sleds back to
In the early days, sap from
Maple-Apple Bread, and more. break in the line is.”
However, Robie said it takes cold
the maple trees was harvested
Along with gravity, vacuum
nights and days above freezing to
their vehicle. From there, it was
Local members of NHMPA get the sap moving up the tree,
hauled home, where it was boiled
who will hold an open house by drilling holes into a tree and
systems now help transport the
for hours over a wood fire until
over Maple Weekend are: Walk- then placing spouts interrupting
sap to a collection tank, and
and that is just what is being seen
the sap flow through the trunk.
Robie said there is a lot of misun-
this year.
it became the syrup they sought.
er’s Farm at 2760 Walker Rd. in Tubing that crisscrosses a
Bristol; Bucklin’s Sugar House Simply put, the sap was collected
derstanding about that process.
“I first boiled on February 18
maple forest today is much less
at 94 Stoney Lane in Alexan- in metal buckets and taken home,
“There’s a lot of science in-
this year, and I’ve had good runs
either by horse-drawn wagons
volved in this. The vacuum’s
every day. I’m hoping it will be a
labor intensive as gravity draws
dria; Loon Lake Maple on Loon it down to a collection tank. It
Lake Rd. in Plymouth; Brox or motor vehicles in later years,
not sucking sap from the trees as
good year,” he said.
is not without its drawbacks,
Farm at 1443 Quincy Rd., just to boil over a wood fire until
Robie’s sugar shack, the build-
many people think. It’s actually
it thickened into syrup. Since
tricking the trees into thinking
though. Robie said he and almost
ing where he boils the sweet wa-
over the Plymouth town line in DERRICK KELLEY
603-481-0777
there is less atmospheric pres-
all other maple producers have
Rumney; Grandpa’s Sugar Barn those beginnings, what has since
tery substance down into syrup, is
had issues with wildlife breaking
on Rte. 4 in South Danbury; and become an annual early spring
located at 217 Town Pound Rd.
sure. The less pressure there is,
Redefining Quality
industry has continued to grow,
in Alexandria, but he is just one
the more sap they produce,” he
through their lines as they travel
Brookside Maple in Ashland. For BUILDING
explained.
through the woods.
more statewide listings, please making a once labor-intensive
of more than 120 other members
visit their website.
task much easier.
of the N.H. Maple Producers As-
“Bears like to bite into the big
It’s all just a part of the new
KELLEY
sociation that will take part in this
tubes to get to the (sweet) sap,
Brett Robie of Alexandria has
methods and improvements in
the process of maple production.
year’s open house.
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