It may seem as though this cold, snowy winter will never
end, but take heart. The plumes of smoke and sweet scents of maple syrup in the
making are the first hopeful signs that spring is on the way. In Western
Connecticut, where sugar maple trees are abundant, visitors are invited to see the fascinating process from taps to tastes..
More than a dozen
sugar houses In Fairfield County and the Litchfield Hills welcome visitors
during peak syrup season in March. .From family farms to nature centers to
museums on wooded grounds, guests can see how the trees are tapped and buckets
hung to collect the sap, then watch in the sugar house as big bubbling kettles
of thin sap boil down to thick fragrant syrup. And, of course, visitors get to
sample the delicious results. Many operations are open every weekend, while some
have special maple celebrations.
Maple festivals will take place on March 7 and 8 at the
Stamford Museum and on March 14 at the Institute for American Indian Studies in
Washington and the South Wind Farm in East Hartland. March 21 is the gala date at the New Canaan
Nature Center and the Sharon Audubon Center.
Nights below
freezing and warmer days are required for the sap to run so dates for syrup
making can vary. A call ahead is
essential before visiting.
SYRUP SEASON IN FAIRFIELD COUNTY
Boil Down
Fridays featuring demonstrations at the Sugar Shack continue at the New
Canaan Nature Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. until the end of March On Friday,
March 6 a special Boil Down Under the Stars will add family games and
folklore stories around the campfire to the agenda. The annual Syrup Saturday
and Pancake Brunch on March 21 from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. features flapjack
feasts and a family Lumberjack Challenge with competitions at log heaving and
firewood stacking www.newcanaannature.org
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The annual
Maple Sugar Festival at the Stamford Museum is set for March 7 and 8 at the
little red Sugar House on the museum’s Heckscher Farm. Family activities
include a scavenger hunt, face painting and maple-themed crafts. Saturday’s
Teen Chef Challenge from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. features dishes using maple
syrup and local syrup is the star at Sunday’s pancake brunch from 11 a.m. to
2 p.m. www.stamfordmuseum.org.
SYRUP MAKING IN THE LITCHFIELD HILLS
The handsome, newly expanded showroom at Lamothe’s Sugar
House in Burlington holds sugar-making demonstrations every March
weekend. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. This family-owned operation, begun as a
hobby, has grown to over 4500 taps and year-round showroom. Visitors enjoy
complimentary maple coffee or hot chocolate. www.Lamothesugarhouse.com
All the family is
invited to the 9th annual Maple Festival at Sweet Wind Farm in East
Hartford from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m... Besides syrup making, guests will enjoy sugar
candy making demonstration, a sugar-on-snow eat, tours, videos, tree tapping
demonstration, kids’ activities and live music. Visitors are also welcome
on any Saturday in March when the sugarhouse is in action.www.sweetwindfarm.net
The Institute for American Indian Studies in
Washington will have a different take on sugaring at its annual festival on
March 14th. Demonstrations will show how
local Native Americans traditionally made maple syrup and its importance to
their culture and pancakes made by IAIS staff will served with local maple
syrup www.iaismuseum.org
The
Sharon Audubon Society also features a
re-creation of Native American and early colonial sugaring methods along with
its modern sugarhouse. The annual Maplefest will take place on Saturday, March
21 with guided 45 minute tours, but the public is welcome to drop in any March
weekend if the sap is flowing. Be sure to call ahead. http://sharon.audubon.org
One of the largest and most unique
operations is the Great Brook Sugar House on the Sullivan Farm in New Milford.
This program sponsored by the New Milford Youth Agency uses high school and
college students to help tap over 1600 trees on property donated by local
residents. The young syrup makers also aid in collecting the sap and overseeing
the boiling over a traditional wood-fired evaporator. Visitors are welcome to
stop by any day that steam can be seen floating up from the sugar house. 860-354-0047
Another busy sugaring spot is the Flanders Nature
Center Sugar House at Van Vleck Farm Sanctuary in Woodbury. Taps already are in place at over 300 trees
at the Nature Center and around town, and the boiling down from sap to syrup can
be seen on Saturday and Sundays, March 7,8,14,15,21 and 22 from 1 p.m. to 4
p.m. www.flandersnaturecenter.org.
Several
other family farms also welcome visitors to their sugar housses, but an advance
appointment is necessary. These include:
Brookside Farm, Litchfield, 860-567-3805, Brothers and Sons Sugarhouse, Torrington, 860-489-2719; Hilljack Sugarshack, Litchfield,
860-482-6052; Kasulaiis Farm and Sugarhouse, Barkhamsted, 860-379-8787; West Hill Sugarhouse, New Hartford,
860-379-9672 and Woodbury Sugarshed,
Woodbury, 203-263-4550
For information on maple syrup making and a
guide to all Connecticut sugar houses, see ctmaple.org. For information on other
spring activities in the area and a free copy of Unwind, a full-color,
152-page booklet detailing what to do and see, and where to stay, shop and dine
in the Litchfield Hills and Fairfield County in Western Connecticut, contact
the Western Connecticut Visitors Bureau, PO Box 968, Litchfield, CT 06759,
(860) 567-4506, or visit their web site at www.visitwesternct.com
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