Sugar makers say this March is turning out sweet for maple production
March is maple month in Connecticut, and many agree that the more maple… the merrier!
To sugar makers, there’s no sweeter sound than the pouring of freshly boiled syrup in March.
“The sap is flowing really well,” said Bill Proulx of River’s Edge Sugar House in Ashford.
He and Amy Proulx are in the swing of maple season over at River’s Edge Sugar House, with many late nights and early mornings at Mother Nature’s beck and call for a year that is shaping up sweet.
“We had some freezing and thaws, and it looks promising for the next seven to 10 days,” Bill said.
Believe it or not, the duo said the weather has also prompted higher sugar content this year. They said it’s a much better season than last, which was one of the slowest they’ve had.
“This year, the sugar content and the sap is running at about 2 percent,” Bill said. “That’s actually pretty good for this area. Last year was around 1 percent.”
Over at the University of Connecticut’s sugarhouse, professor Tom Worthley agrees that this year’s sap volumes are way higher than last year’s.
“We’ve had a pretty good run, and we’ve managed to bottle up some pints of syrup and some half points of syrup for sale,” Worthley said.
Connecticut produces around 1 percent of the syrup in the country, equaling around 17 to 18 thousand gallons a year.
It’s a small but mighty contribution that impacts our state’s economy.
“Not just for the amount of syrup we produce, but also for the tourism and the fact that they maintain these groves of maple trees that we call sugar bushes,” Worthley said. “That contributes to the foliage season and the tourism that takes place at that time.”
There are sugar makers all through Connecticut participating in Hebron’s maple fest on Saturday and Sunday. Click here for details.
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