Maine Maple Sunday

Maine Maple Sunday is this weekend in the far northestern corner of the country. In celebration of spring, maple producers throughout Maine open the doors of their sugarhouses and allow the public to follow along as gallons of maple sap are slowly transformed into rich, golden syrup. A full list of particpating maple sugar houses can be found at Get Real, Get Maine!, the state's department of agriculture website.

Maple sap is collected from stands of sugar maple trees in buckets after the trees have been tapped. Many farmers begin tapping sugar maples in mid-February, where fluxtuating daytime and evening temperatures restrict sap flow to the warmer hours of the day. It can take several days to collect enough sap to make a gallon of premium maple syrup. With the arrival of spring and the budding of the maple trees, chemical changes take place within the tree, making the sap less than ideal for maple syrup production.

Mainers will be pouring syrup on their pancakes and ice cream when the state's sugarhouses open to the public for Maine Maple Sunday. Dozens of maple syrup producers across Maine will open their doors to welcome people to view the syrup-making process and taste a sample or two. Maine last year was the No. 3 syrup producer in the country, behind Vermont and New York. Most sugarhouses offer free tastings and a demonstration on how syrup is produced. Many also offer sleigh or wagon rides, live music and other attractions.