Sugarin': Vermont's Fifth Season

by Alan Erdossy

Humorists maintain that Vermont has but two seasons, winter and a month of poor sledding...

But real Vermonters recognize the Sugaring Season as their Fifth Season. And it makes Vermont the nation's largest producer of pure maple syrup.

There will be a lot going on during the Annual Vermont Maple Open House Weekend in March; the second weekend of spring. Join us for a fun-filled weekend for everyone!

Come see all that Vermont has to offer and help us celebrate the first agricultural harvest of the season. Bring the whole family, or make it a special getaway weekend for you and that someone special.

Sugaring Season falls between winter and spring and begins when winds out of the south raise daytime temperatures well above freezing, while the frozen snow-packed earth and New England's general arctic atmosphere plunge it back below 32 degrees at night. Those conditions trigger the flow of sap (a watery substance usually about 2-3% natural sugar) from the roots of sugar maple trees towards the buds waiting at the end of every branch.

Here in Central Vermont, the heart of the great Northern Forest that stretches from the Adirondacks of New York to Maine, the flow of sap means that it is again time to practice Vermont's most traditional occupation, sugaring, the tapping of mature maple trees to gather about 40 gallons of sap to be boiled over a wood fire, to obtain a single gallon of sweet Vermont pure maple syrup.

Maple syrup is graded by color. The lightest golden syrup (Extra Fancy) has the lightest taste, followed by Grade A Amber (the most popular) with a stronger maple flavor. They all contain the same amount of sugar, but the syrup darkens as the run progresses, with Grade B (generally used for cooking) being produced at the end of the run just before the maple buds begin to burst open. Most sugar producers prefer the extra fancy for their own tables.

During Vermont's Fifth Season (usually late March/early April) you don't have to drive too many miles on any road before you encounter a steamy sugar shack. Families are boiling sap in the kitchen, or on a "hobby boiler" in the yard, and commercial sugarers large and small are hard at it, night and day .

The sap should be boiled within a day or so of collection to get the best flavor, and most sugaring operations will take the time to serve guests the traditional sugar-on-snow, syrup boiled almost to candy state, drizzled over a mound of shaved ice, served with hot coffee, a raised donut, and a dill pickle!

 

 

A trip to Central Vermont wouldn't be complete without visiting one of our many sugarhouses open to the public. Today's sugarhouses are a mix of cutting edge technology and centuries-old tradition.Warm clothing is recommended for touring sugarhouses and the area sugarbush. It is also recommended that the visitor call ahead, whether it's just to look around or to enjoy a sugar-on-snow party. Most of these sugarmakers are open all year and sell their products directly to visitors and many also fill mail orders for gift giving.

 

Visit the Following Central Vermont Maple Sugarhouses

Enjoy One of Vermont's Sweetest Products

 

East Montpelier - Bragg Farm Sugar House and Gift Shop - Doug or Barbara Bragg - 1005 VT Rt. 14 North, P.O. Box 201 - East Montpelier VT 05651. One mile north of East Montpelier Village, on Rt 14 north. 5 miles from Barre or Montpelier. Visit a traditional family operated sugarhouse. 5 generations! Free personal tours and tasting, Educational video, maple trail to walk, museum, and maple creemees. We hang 2200 buckets and boil with wood! Arrange sugar parties. Mail order, Maple Syrup, candy, and cream. Gift baskets. (802) 223-5757 or Toll free 1 (800) 376-5757

 

Montpelier - Morse Farm Sugar Works - 1168 County Rd - Montpelier VT 05602. Follow signs north on Main Street in Montpelier. We are 3 miles from center of Montpelier. We have sugarhouse tours and multimedia slide show - Morse Farm video. Woodshed theater. Folk art sculptures and diaramas depicting Vermont farm life. Open seven days a week. Winter hours are 9-5, and summer hours are 8-8. (802) 223-2740

 

Cabot - Goodrich's Maple Farm - Ruth Goodrich - 2427 US Route 2, Cabot, VT 05647. We are located in the North East Corner of Vermont, right on US Route 2 between Montpelier and St. Johnsbury - "The" major east-west route across Northern Vermont. From the south you can come up interstates 89 or 91. Easy access, ample parking, and completely handicapped accessible - our informational tours provide clients with a great experience. Lots of good, old-fashioned maple products and hospitality! Toll free - 1 (800) 639-1854