Maple Open House this weekend

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Over the course of the next two weekends, local maple producers will celebrate the return of the sugaring season.

With temperatures finally rising into 40s during the day, Mother Nature is cooperating just in time for the sap to run during the 20th Maple Open House Weekend, March 21 and 22, and next weekend, March 28 and 29 at sugarhouses around Washington County. The event is presented by the Upper Hudson Maple Producers Association.

“We’re inviting area families to come and experience firsthand the sights, smells and sounds of maple sugarmaking,” said David Campbell, a Salem producer and president of the Upper Hudson Maple Producers Association.

The event has proven to be popular with locals and area visitors alike.

“One of the things we get a kick out of,” said Mary Jeanne Packer, marketing manager of the Upper Hudson Maple Producers Association, “is that some people come all four days.”

She noted that the Open House gets a lot of return visitors from year to year, and even to new generations.

“We have kids who used to come with their parents who now come with their own children,” she commented.

Each sugarhouse on the tour has activities to keep guests engaged.

In Granville, Grottoli’s Maple, off Route 22 in Middle Granville, will again participate in this year’s event.

Tours of the sugarhouse will be offered and a pancake breakfast will be served beginning at 8 a.m. each day. And if the weather cooperates, guests will be able to watch as sap is boiled.

A few miles north, Rathbun’s Maple Sugar House, located on the Granville-Whitehall border on Hatch Hill Road, will be open from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Guests can enjoy breakfast, watch sap be boiled, view sugaring artifacts from a bygone era and even take Clydesdale horse-drawn wagon rides.

In Clemons, Lakeview Maple, at 41 McKinstry Rd., will open its sugarhouse to eager guests who can sample maple treats and silver dollar pancakes while sipping on hot cocoa and coffee.

Further south, at Mapleland Farms in Salem, guests can enjoy a pancake breakfast from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day. There will also be a woods walk, demonstration of sap collecting and boiling. Packer, who also works at Mapleland, noted that the tour is such a big draw that Mapleland alone has about 2,000 visitors each year.

Also in Salem, Dry Brook Sugar House will serve a pancake breakfast from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day, and open horse-drawn sleigh or wagon rides.

Highland Maple Farm in Argyle will demonstrate the evaporator and their reverse osmosis system. The farm will also feature a “tasting buffet” of maple recipes.

At Sugar Mill Farm in Greenwich, visitors can tour the woods and explore the sap collection process, as well as watch the wood-fired evaporator in action. Sugar Mill will also serve a pancake breakfast all four days from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Wild Hill Maple in Salem will be boiling sap and offering tours of their operation. Children can try their hand at making their own maple candy, and adults are welcome to do their own taste test to see what grade of syrup they prefer. This year, New York State adopted the international maple syrup grading system, so maple fans can use this opportunity to learn the new names.

Most sugarhouses are open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., each day, although hours vary depending on the specific operation.

For a complete list of tours and activities, go to www.upperhudsonmaple.com. Signs will be placed along roadsides to direct motorists.

In spite of the prolonged winter, maple producers have high hopes for a good year.

“We’re still optimistic that we’re going to have a great season,” said Packer. “There’s still plenty of time. We boiled a few times in the last week, and the sap is starting to sweeten up.”