Sugaring the Vermont Way

The production of maple syrup, known as “sugaring“, takes place just as winter is losing its grip. The maple producers, or “sugarmakers“ look for weather that alternates between freezing and thawing; this is what makes the sap flow. In Vermont, sugaring weather usually starts around the beginning of March, and normally lasts for about six weeks. Before the sugarmakers can produce syrup they must tap their trees and this happens during January and February. Snow may lay deep in the woods at the start of sugaring, but the warm sun on the branches of the maple trees causes the long dormancy of winter to give way and the sugaring season to begin.

Vermont is the largest producer of pure maple syrup in the U.S. The climate and soil conditions are perfect for producing this amazing product from the sap of the sugar maple.

Sugaring was going on when we arrived. It has turned warm very fast and sugaring must then stop. The sap becomes very dark and bitter and not good for quality syrups. It has been very interesting to see trees with sap tubes, and buckets. Today we traveled down a loooooooooooooooooong mud road and there were buckets on every tree along the road. It was realy a site to see.