Organic Maple Syrup (Image courtesy of Schoolyard Sugarbush)

New York State’s maple syrup producers are getting ready to open their sugarhouses for the Annual Maple Weekend on March 29th and 30th, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. About 110 maple producers across New York will be hosting open houses for the public to see maple production. The event is free to the public, a wonderful family outing in the country.

Participants will be boiling sap into maple syrup and many will demonstrate the making of maple products. Visitors can sample and purchase the maple products. Some of the sugarhouses will provide a variety of other activities to make your visit memorable. There are participating maple producers in 38 counties, including Schoolyard Sugarbush in Cayuga County (Phone:315-567-9900) .

The U.S. Department of Agriculture lists New York as the second-largest maple producing state after Vermont. New York’s 1,500 maple producers account for 18% of the syrup consumed in the U.S. The economic impact was an estimated $32 million in 2006. According to the N.Y. Agricultural Statistics Service it took almost 43 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup in 2006. Nationwide, more than a million gallons of maple syrup will likely be made this spring.

For more information on Maple Weekend locations and activities go to: Maple Weekend is a Family Event

If you can’t make it to a sugarhouse but would like to purchase some of Upstate New York's fine syrup go to:
100% Pure Organic Maple Syrup