Courtesy NYS Maple Producers Association
The New York State Maple Producers Association is holding their Maple Weekend events in March. In Washington County, events will take place March 23-24 and 30-31.
Some are extending events to March 16-17 as well.
During Maple Weekend, maple farms across New York state invite visitors to their “sugar houses” to experience firsthand how pure, mouth-watering maple syrup and other related products are made.
Visitors also have the opportunity to enjoy fun, family-friendly activities, taste New York’s freshest syrup and purchase maple products.
Maple Weekend is a chance for the public to come to the farm to learn about New York’s maple sugarmaking processes and traditions and to provide a chance to taste pure maple syrup in its many forms – right from the source.
Organizers said attendees can taste a pure and natural food product at its freshest and in its many forms; learn how maple syrup and other maple confections are made; experience the unique family traditions of making maple syrup in New York; celebrate New York’s first agricultural harvest of the season in a family-friendly environment; meet the producers who annually make New York the second largest maple producing state in the U.S.; share in the many ways to cook and bake with maple syrup, maple sap and other maple drinks and products; and witness sustainable agriculture at its best.
The events take place 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. those weekends at most locations regardless of the weather.
For information on specific locations, visit www.glensfalls.com/things-to-do/maple-weekends.
Tours and product samples are offered at most sites free of charge. On-site pancake breakfasts, where available, incur a per-plate cost and prices vary by location.
“As someone who has visited countless maple syrup facilities, I’ve seen the struggles faced by our farm community, particularly when Mother Nature wreaks havoc with the weather,” said Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul. “Maple syrup production in New York ranks second in the nation. This program will continue to build and support the syrup industry and we’re proud to celebrate the producers’ success with Maple Weekends in March.”
New York State Grown & Certified promotes New York’s agricultural producers and growers who adhere to food safety and environmental sustainability standards. For maple, the syrup must be sourced from New York maple trees and processed in New York state.
To meet the food safety standards, participants must have successfully completed a maple food safety class, developed in partnership between Cornell Cooperative Extension and the Western New York Maple Producers Association, and must follow food safety best practices that are subject to an onsite audit.
In addition, a maple producer must participate in an environmental management program that promotes sustainability and keeps forests healthy and productive, such as the New York State Agricultural Environmental Management program, which is administered through the Soil and Water Conservation Districts, or the Certified Tree Farmer, administered by the American Tree Farm System.
Dry Brook Sugar House, 432 Chambers Road, Salem, will be serving a pancake breakfast from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. (This starts earlier than most Maple Weekend activities).
The Washington County Draft Animal Association will be in attendance again this year, providing a horse drawn wagon ride to the border of Vermont, which is just down the road from the sugar house. Horse drawn wagon rides are weather permitting, and will take place 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Mapleland Farms, 647 Bunker Hill Road, Salem, will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Maple Weekends, plus they’ve added on another weekend of maple fun on March 16 and 17.
Rathbun’s Maple Sugar House, 1208 Hatch Hill Road, Whitehall, has its own restaurant that is open year-round. It is extending the maple events with an open house on weekends from March 16 through April 17. Horse drawn wagon rides will be available, weather permitting.
Other locations include Battlehill Maple, 470 Route 16, Fort Ann; Grottoli’s Maple, 91 Ritchie Road, Middle Granville; Highland Maple Farm, 954 Coach Road, Argyle; Maple Acres, 49 Searles Road, Granville; River Run Maple, 25 Lower Turnpike Road, Granville; Schneible Maple, 396 Dutchtown Road, Argyle; Sugar Hill Maple Farm, 2469 Route 29, Greenwich; and Wild Hill Maple, 366 Carney Cassidy Road, Salem.