Maple Weekends Canceled in New York State

Maple Weekend events in New York state have been canceled due to concerns with the coronavirus.

Here is the announcement form the New York State Maple Producers:

"Out of an abundance of caution, the New York State Maple Producers Association has decided to cancel the 2020 NYS Maple Weekend. This 25th anniversary festival was scheduled for March 21-22 and March 28-29 at 187 different locations across New York state. 

"Individual sugarhouses will continue to produce, stock and market their excellent crop of Maple Products. Please contact them directly to order your favorite maple products.  

"NYS Maple Producers Association is already preparing for an alternative series of open houses later in the year to showcase both producer and product. Consult MapleWeekend.com for future events.   

"If you have questions, contact us at mapleweekend@nysmaple.com"

Maple Weekend is an annual event in March in which maple producers throughout the state open their sugarhouses to show the public how they make maple syrup and other maple products. For many, it is their biggest source of revenue for the year.

Remember, as the statement says, the producers still are making syrup and New York residents still can buy all the maple products they need.

Maple Weekends Still On in Most of NYS

New York state maple producers are not letting the presence of the coronavirus in New York state stomp on their biggest event of the year.

As of the afternoon of Thursday, March 12, Maple Weekend events scheduled for March 21-22 and March 28-29 still are set to go. Helen Thomas, executive director of the New York State Maple Producers Association, said she is conferring with her board of directors and changing news could change this decision.

Right now (March 12), "we are not canceling Maple Weekend and are leaving it up to producers" to decide what is right for them, Thomas said. 

She said a few producers in the Hudson Valley -- the epicenter of coronavirus in the state -- have canceled their events. She said some in Westchester County looked at the list of attendees from past years and saw many people from New York City visit Maple Weekends and decided it would be best to keep everyone safe by not holding the event.

New York City also has been an area hard hit by the coronavirus, also known as Covid-19.

Pancakes being cooked at a Maple Weekend pancake breakfast

"We have to be responsible about the producers, considering this (Maple Weekend) is one of the big revenue times of the year," Thomas said.

Thomas said the maple association is following a directive from Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued Thursday which requires events with more than 500 people be canceled and any event that is held be restricted to 500 or fewer attendees.

She said Maple Weekend events in New York state rarely have more than 500 people at one time -- a producer might have that many visitors, but it would be spread out over a full day or weekend.

"All of this is changing hourly," Thomas said. "We have to watch it daily."  

Dutch Hill Maple Wins Grand Champion at State Fair for Third Year in a Row

Dutch Hill Maple does it again.

The maple producer from Tully in Onondaga County has won Grand Champion at the New York State Fair for its syrup.

This is the third year in a row Dutch Hill Maple has been Grand Champion.

So thrilled for Cristy and Nate Williams and the whole Dutch Hill Maple crew.

Go to https://www.dutchhillmaple.com/ to learn more about this maple producer.

Maple Weekend 2019 Coming Up in March

Can't wait for maple season!!

It's Time for the First Maple Weekend of 2018

There's nothing else to say. Get out and visit your local maple producer. I'll be out at Red Schoolhouse Maple in Palermo on March 17.

Maple Weekends Coming March 17-18, March 24-25

From state Sen. Patricia Ritchie:

Maple syrup is not just for pancakes anymore.  

There is maple candy, maple popcorn, maple jelly and even maple pepper.  If those — and of course maple syrup — sound like “sweet” treats you might want to try, I highly encourage you to find a nearby sugarhouse taking part in upcoming “Maple Weekend” events.

Held March 17 and 18, and then again March 24 and 25, Maple Weekend is held across the state. There are 177 maple farms across New York state set to open up their sugarhouses to show people just how real maple syrup is made, and of course offer some tasty samples.

Some smaller maple producers still use buckets to collect sap.

Here in New York state, maple is more than just something sweet. It’s an important, growing part of our agriculture economy. 

In fact, New York is second in the nation — just behind Vermont — when it comes to maple syrup production.  With the largest number of tappable trees in the United States, there is great potential for us to become number one. 

As chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, I have been working in recent years to support the growth of New York’s maple industry in a number of ways, including by securing money for important research. 

I will also be advocating for a new piece of legislation called “Maple One,” which has the ambitious goal of overtaking Vermont as America’s leading maple producer by issuing permits to allow farmers to tap maple trees on certain state-owned lands.

Maple products at the New York State Fair

The upcoming “Maple Weekend” events are the perfect way for people to not only sample everything maple syrup, but also to help support those who help put it on our tables. I hope you’ll take part in this sweet tradition.

For more information, on “Maple Weekend”, including a list of the participating sugarhouses nearest to you, visit the New York State Maple Producers Association website at www.nysmaple.com.

New York State Grown & Certified Expands to Include Maple

From Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office:

The New York State Grown & Certified program is expanding to include the New York maple industry. 

The program will increase exposure for New York's maple producers, who rank second in the nation (behind Vermont) in syrup production and generate an estimated economic impact of $141 million each year. 

Annual Maple Weekends scheduled for March 17-18 and March 24-25 will help spotlight the growing maple industry and boost awareness of producers in the Grown & Certified program.

 

"Maple production in New York is thriving once again and it continues to be a driving force for this state's agricultural industry," said Gov. Andrew Cuomo. "Expanding the New York State Grown & Certified program to include maple means we can promote more of New York's finest producers, connect consumers to high-quality products, and support the growth of local communities across the state."

 

To celebrate the addition of maple into the New York State Grown & Certified program and to kick off the upcoming Maple Weekends, Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul participated in the first ceremonial tree-tapping of the season at Smith's Maple Farm in Hamburg, Erie County.

 

"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," Hochul said. "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."

 

Starting next week, maple farms across the state will open their doors to the public to offer tours and pancake breakfasts, sell maple products, and demonstrate the syrup-making process, which includes the traditional system of hanging buckets on trees or more modern methods of production using vacuum systems to increase the yield of sap per tree. 

 

Maple Weekends will take place March 17-18 and March 24-25 at 178 maple farms in 45 Upstate counties. Over 400,000 visitors are expected to participate in Maple Weekends activities. 

A list of Maple Weekend events is available at this link https://mapleweekend.nysmaple.com/

 

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 Conservation Districts, or the Certified Tree Farmer, administered by the American Tree Farm System.

 

A current list of maple producers who have joined the New York State Grown & Certified program includes: 

• Adirondack Natural Products Inc - Croghan, Lewis County
• Brandy Brook Maple Farm - Ellenburg Center, Clinton County
• Brow's Sugarhouse - West Chazy, Clinton County
• Cedar Brook Farm Maple Confections - Malone, Franklin County
• Hamley's Maple - Barton, Tioga County
• Lakeside Maple - Chateaugay, Franklin County
• Maple Hollow Farm - Hannibal, Oswego County
• Mapleland Farms - Salem, Washington County
• Maxon Estate Farms - Attica, Wyoming County
• Silver Hill Maple - Turin, Lewis County
• Smith's Maple Farm - Hamburg, Erie County
• Sweetrees Maple Products - Berkshire, Tioga County
• Wohlschlegels Naples Maple Farm - Naples, Ontario County
• Zimpfer's Maple Products - Attica, Wyoming County

First Maple Weekend Set for March 18-19

Maple Weekends, New York’s annual celebration of all that is maple, are being held March 18 and 19 and March 25 and 26.
 
On those weekends, many producers throughout the state open up their operations so the public can see how trees are tapped, how sap is collected and how sap is boiled down to make syrup. Some producers even operate pancakes breakfasts featuring their fresh maple syrup.
 
Go to http://www.nysmaple.com/maple-weekend-search/plan-your-maple-weekend/ to find a maple weekend site near you.
 
The production of maple syrup is extremely weather dependent — producers need cold night in the upper 20s and daytime temperatures in the low to mid-40s. 

According to statistics from the state Department of Agriculture and Markets, the earliest a maple season began was Jan. 10 in 2011. The latest a season began was April 1 in 1940.
 
Last year, temperatures were a bit crazy, going up and down for a couple of months.
 
At the beginning of February, the weather warmed up just enough for many producers to head out to their trees, tap and start harvesting sap. Temperatures need to be about 40 degrees or a little higher during the day to get the sap flowing and then down below freezing (not too cold, in the upper 20s is best) at night.
 
As producers relished making syrup early in the season, their happiness was short-lived as temperatures plummeted in mid-February — even hitting single digits for highs Feb. 14 and lows way below zero for three straight days (Feb. 13, 14 and 15).
 
Producers got back to harvesting sap and making syrup in March and the season ended on a great note — a record 707,000 gallons of syrup were made.
 
The biggest maple county in the state is Lewis County, which also is home to the state’s Maple Museum.
 
Most recent figures for value of maple syrup production in New York:
2005: $7,037,000
2006: $8,020,000
2007: $7,638,000
2008: $13,907,000
2009: $17,820,000
2010: $12,293,000
2011: $22,052,000
2012: $15,660,000
2013: $25,026,000
2014: $21,676,000
2015: $25,242,000
Source: National Agricultural Statistics Service

Maple Weekends Coming in March

Maple Weekends, New York’s annual celebration of all that is maple, are being held March 18 and 19 and March 25 and 26.
 
On those weekends, many producers throughout the state open up their operations so the public can see how trees are tapped, how sap is collected and how sap is boiled down to make syrup. Some producers even operate pancakes breakfasts featuring their fresh maple syrup.
 
Go to http://www.nysmaple.com/maple-weekend-search/plan-your-maple-weekend/ to find a maple weekend site near you.
 
The production of maple syrup is extremely weather dependent — producers need cold night in the upper 20s and daytime temperatures in the low to mid-40s. 

According to statistics from the state Department of Agriculture and Markets, the earliest a maple season began was Jan. 10 in 2011. The latest a season began was April 1 in 1940.
 
Last year, temperatures were a bit crazy, going up and down for a couple of months.
 
At the beginning of February, the weather warmed up just enough for many producers to head out to their trees, tap and start harvesting sap. Temperatures need to be about 40 degrees or a little higher during the day to get the sap flowing and then down below freezing (not too cold, in the upper 20s is best) at night.
 
As producers relished making syrup early in the season, their happiness was short-lived as temperatures plummeted in mid-February — even hitting single digits for highs Feb. 14 and lows way below zero for three straight days (Feb. 13, 14 and 15).
 
Producers got back to harvesting sap and making syrup in March and the season ended on a great note — a record 707,000 gallons of syrup were made.
 
The biggest maple county in the state is Lewis County, which also is home to the state’s Maple Museum.
 
Most recent figures for value of maple syrup production in New York:
2005: $7,037,000
2006: $8,020,000
2007: $7,638,000
2008: $13,907,000
2009: $17,820,000
2010: $12,293,000
2011: $22,052,000
2012: $15,660,000
2013: $25,026,000
2014: $21,676,000
2015: $25,242,000
Source: National Agricultural Statistics Service

Maple Syrup Time is Coming!!

Can't wait!!

Get Out There for Maple Weekend

April 2 and 3 is your last chance this year to get out and visit your local maple syrup producer. You can taste some yummy maple products, get a free tour and see maple demonstrations and perhaps, even partake of a great pancake breakfast.

First Maple Weekend Begins Tomorrow

The first Maple Weekend is Saturday and Sunday, March 19 and 20.

Get out to your local maple producer and take a tour, sample a product, buy some products and perhaps, eat some pancakes.

If you miss it this weekend, another Maple Weekend is set for April 2 and 3.

Does Maple Syrup Cure Alzheimer's??

Here's another good reason to get out to Maple Weekend this Saturday and Sunday, March 19 and 20.

Go to http://nypost.com/2016/03/14/maple-syrup-isnt-just-delicious-it-also-could-cure-alzheimers-disease/ to see the story.  

Maple Weekend continues April 2 and 3. Be sure to get out to your local maple producer and take a tour, see a demonstration of how to make maple syrup and, if you're lucky, partake of a pancake breakfast.

Go to http://www.nysmaple.com/nys-maple-weekend/ for more information or to find a maple producer near you.

Maple Season Not Helped by Crazy Weather

Harry Komrowski tests his syrup for thickness.

This has been a bit of a crazy year for maple producers.

Temperatures need to be just right for the sap to start running in the maple trees so the producers can collect it and make maple syrup and other maple products.
 
At the beginning of February, the weather warmed up just enough for many producers to head out to their trees, tap and start harvesting sap. Temperatures need to be about 40 degrees or a little higher during the day to get the sap flowing and then down below
freezing (not too cold, in the upper 20s is best) at night.
 
As producers relished making syrup early in the season, their happiness was short-lived as temperatures plummeted in mid-February — even hitting single digits for highs Feb. 14 and lows way below zero for three straight days (Feb. 13, 14 and 15).
 
Now, toward the beginning of March, the temperatures have tempered a bit and producers are back to collecting sap.
 

Komrowski

Harry Komrowski, who has been running a maple operation on Tater Road in Lysander (just past Plainville) for more than 40 years, tries to make at least 1,000 gallons of syrup a year. This year, the weather has been so back and forth that he’s collected sap only three times.
 
“The weather’s been pretty bad,” he said. “It’s March and you can’t get any sap.”
 
Things should be much better this week (the week of March 7) as temperatures are supposed to rise, which forces the sap out of the trees. Once the sap is collected from the trees, the maple producers boil it to eliminate the water, leaving wonderful sweet syrup.

This past weekend, Komrowski, who also produced syrup on Comstock Road in Baldwinsville from 1969 to 1975, tested, filtered and bottled some of the syrup he has made so far this year.
 
The syrup was boiled again and then put into a cylinder to test how thick it is. If it’s the right thickness, it then is filtered and then bottled.
 
Residents of Onondaga County will have a number of opportunities to see how maple syrup is made in the coming weeks.
 
This Saturday, March 12, a special event is being held at Thornden Park in Syracuse.
 
Kristina Ferrare, resource educator for forestry with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Onondaga County, said residents can come to the park to enjoy demonstrations of how syrup is made by the Vernon-Verona-Sherrill FFA organization, which is bringing its
mobile maple exhibit to the event.
 
From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., attendees will be able to see trees being tapped with sap dripping into buckets, check out a modern tubing system for collecting sap, take a minihike across the football field to see the sugarbush of maple trees, see how a maple evaporator works and enjoy some maple goodies such as cotton candy.
 
There also will be activities for children and some indoor events like maple coloring books and reading the book “Sugarbush Spring.”  
 
“We are celebrating that passage of spring,” Ferrare said. “And it’s great that we can use a city park to show something that traditionally is a rural enterprise.”
 
There also is another maple presentation from noon to 2:30 p.m. March 12 at the Old Administration Building at Green Lakes State Park. 

Attendees to this free event will be able to learn about the maple syrup making process, go on a guided tree identification
hike and see different styles of taps in action and enjoy maple treats and hot beverages.
 
If weather conditions are poor March 12, the Green Lakes event will be Sunday, March 13.
 
Other events being held are during the statewide Maple Weekends March 19 and 20 and April 2 and 3. Go to http://www.nysmaple.com/maple-weekend/About-Maple-
Weekend/1 to find out about Maple Weekends and find a maple producer near you that is having tours and possibly, even a pancake breakfast.  
 
Most recent figures for value of maple syrup production in New York:
2005: $7,037,000
2006: $8,020,000
2007: $7,638,000
2008: $13,907,000
2009: $17,820,000
2010: $12,293,000
2011: $22,052,000
2012: $15,660,000
2013: $25,026,000
2014: $21,676,000
2015: Figures will be available in June 2016
Source: National Agricultural Statistics Service

Maple Weekends Coming Up in March, April

From Empire Farm & Dairy magazine:

A bucket in Lewis County for collecting sap to make maple syrup

By DEBRA J. GROOM
Empire Farm & Dairy
 
It’s the sweetest time of the year — maple sugaring time.
 
As soon as the weather is perfect, those warmer days of 40 degrees or so and cool nights down in the upper 20s, the sap will begin oozing out of maple trees all over New York state. Maple producers will collect it, boil it down and make that delicious, ooey, gooey maple syrup that everyone wait for this time of year.
 

Also during March, many producers across the state will open for tours, sales and even some pancake breakfasts during the two Maple Weekends. This year, because of the early Easter holiday, the two weekends are not consecutive.  
 
So, remember to head out to visit your local maple syrup producer during Maple Weekends from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 19 and 20 and April 2 and 3.
 
Go to http://www.mapleweekend.com/locations.php to find a maple producer near you.
 
Lewis County is the largest producer of maple syrup in New York state. New York state ranks second in the country behind Vermont in maple syrup production. Maine comes in third.
 

New York maple products at the State Fair

New York producers are coming off a record season in 2015, when 601,000 gallons of syrup were made. The record production was astonishing because 2015 almost ended up being the season that wasn’t.
 
As of early March 2015, temperatures were still too cold for the sap to begin running.
 
“If this horrible winter weather doesn’t shape up fast, the wonderful sweetness of Maple Weekends could be in jeopardy. To date, it’s been too cold and too snowy for most maple syrup producers to get into the woods and tap their trees. And even if they could tap, it’s been too cold for the sap to run,” wrote one maple blogger on March 7.
 
“Right now, some of the producers are getting things together and getting things ready,” Michele Ledoux, executive director of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Lewis County — the state’s largest maple producing county, said last year. “They are all waiting for the weather to break,” she said.
 
Luckily, once the weather cooperated and the sap began to flow, the maple producers were busy, busy, busy making syrup.
 
In 2014, New York producers made 546,000 gallons, down slightly from the 571,000 gallons in 2013. A total of 360,000 gallons were made in 2012.

Sunday March 29 is Your Last Chance to Experience Maple Weekend

Just look at those pancakes

Your last chance to hit a spot for Maple Weekend is Sunday, March 29.

I mad the trip out today for pancakes and sausage at Red Schoolhouse Maple in Palermo, Oswego County. Then checked out the FFA students and their maple operation at Vernon-Verona-Sherrill High School, Oneida County.

Go to nysmaple.com for information.

The VVS FFA evaporator boiling away making syrup

Maple Producers Awaiting Good Weather

I did this story last week and it ran Saturday, March 7, 2015. If temperatures stay in the 40s during the day and down to the 20s at night, all might be saved!

If this horrible winter weather doesn’t shape up fast, the wonderful sweetness of Maple Weekends could be in jeopardy.

To date, it’s been too cold and too snowy for most maple syrup producers to get into the woods and tap their trees. And even if they could tap, it’s been too cold for the sap to run.

“Right now, some of the producers are getting things together and getting things ready,” said Michele Ledoux, executive director of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Lewis County — the state’s largest maple producing county.

“They are all waiting for the weather to break,” she said.

Maple producers need temperatures in the 40s during the day and in the 20s at night for the best sap extraction. The Weather Channel forecast for Lowville from today through Thursday shows highs of 32 today and Wednesday and a high of 36 on Monday.

But that’s it. All of the other days have highs only in the 20s or teens. The lows aren’t any good either, ranging from 19 tonight to 13 on Sunday and Thursday nights.

Maple Weekends, New York’s annual celebration of all that is maple, are being held March 21 and 22 and March 28 and 29. 

On those weekends, many producers throughout the state open up their operations so the public can see how trees are tapped, how sap is collected and how sap is boiled down to make syrup. Some producers even operate pancakes breakfasts featuring their fresh maple syrup.

“This is a good question,” said Dale Moser, of Moser’s Maple in Beaver Falls, Lewis County, when asked if anyone will have sap to boil for Maple Weekends. “It’s just wait and see.”

Usually by this time of year, producers have tapped and have already been making syrup. 

According to statistics from the state Department of Agriculture and Markets, the earliest  a maple season began was Jan 10 in 2011. The latest a season began was April 1 in 1940.

Mr. Moser, who is the fourth generation of maple producers on his farm, said he remembers one year back in the late 1950s or early 1960s when he didn’t tap his trees until late March and didn’t have syrup until Easter weekend in April.

For 2014, the season was short — beginning March 13 and ending April 14 — a total of 32 days. In 2013, the season was 40 days long from Feb. 27 to April 9.

But Helen Thomas, of Syracuse, executive director of the New York Maple Producers Association, said while last year’s season was a bit short, the quality and quantity of the syrup was excellent.

A total of 546,000 gallons were made in 2014, down just slightly from 2013’s record production of 574,000 gallons.

The biggest problems this year are the cold and snow pack. 

“All the feeder roots to the trees are frozen, the ground is frozen and in some places, the snow is waist deep or deeper,” Mr. Moser said. “And for the sap to be sweet we need a lot of wet weather and moisture on the ground.”

He said New York needs about three to four days in the 40s and then a light rain “to take the snow down.” The ground has to thaw so the moisture from the snow and rain can seep into the soil.

“The ground is so frozen, nothing is moving,” Ms. Ledoux said of the sap.

Mr. Moser said some maple producers may have some syrup to sell at Maple Weekend festivities if the weather doesn’t cooperate. But others might be out of luck.

“We just keep checking the forecasts and then checking the Farmers’ Almanac,” Mr. Moser said.

Wish I had a crystal ball,” Ms. Thomas said.