Vermont does not hold a monopoly on maple trees or its derivatively delicious maple products. You can extract maple sap from maple trees in lots of places across the U. S. Occasionally you might work yourself up to collecting enough of the sticky stuff to boil off and create a sugar paste. Maple sugaring done anywhere can be fun. But if you want to enjoy watching the process done on a larger scale, by folks who have made maple sugaring almost a way of life you may want to check out some of these spots for family fun at Vermont maple sugar houses .
Merck Forest and Farmland Center, Rupert, Vt. Maple sugaring season in Vermont generally lasts for about a month to a month and half depending on the temperature and other variables. Some sugar houses may start operations as early as mid-February but others are still running throughout much of April. There are also sugar houses that operate and welcome guests year round.
Merck Forest and Farmland Center in Rupert , Vermont is kicking off its sugaring season with a special weekend event called “Maple Open Sugarhouse Weekend” on March 29-30 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. For no charge you and your family can visit this maple house and enjoy a full demonstration of the way in which syrup comes out of tree and onto your favorite breakfast foods.
Demonstrations will be given to show how sap is seasonally tapped from maple trees and how it is boiled down to make the products we love. For the cooks in your family there will also be a demonstration of how maple sugar candy is made. Of course everyone can enjoy the tasting portion of the program. If you come with an appetite you can, for a $5 fee, join in a hearty breakfast of plain or blueberry pancakes that are just begging for some delicious maple syrup and a side order of Merck Forest and Farmland Center sausages. This is wonderful chance to share some real farming savvy with your family and enjoy a pleasant family breakfast. Breakfast will be offered from 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. only.
Shelburne Farms., Shelburne, VT If you live in or are vacationing near the Lake Champlain region of Vermont you can track down our own family fun at Vermont maple sugar houses at Shelburne Farms. You will discover that Shelburne Farms is a non profit educational center to teach families through experience how to make productive and environmentally sound use of farm land. There is lots to see at Shelburne Farms throughout the year but during the closing days of March lots of people come here to enjoy.
From 9:30 a.m.- 2 p.m on March 29 and 30 Shelburne Farms, VT will be holding its annual Maple Open House Weekend. Spend time with people not just dedicated to maple sugaring but also capable educators who can take you and your family through the process of tree to table maple sugaring. Saturday will feature hands on sugaring activities including learning how to correctly tap a maple tree to enjoying a taste of “sugar on snow. Sunday visitors can take self guided tour of the sugar bush area and check out activities in the sugar house.
Tours here are free. Just a note, if you like what you see here come back again on April 27 from 1-4 p.m. when visitors are encouraged to welcome the newest baby calves and take a turn at milking a full grown cow.
Sugar bush Farm, Woodstock, VT. You’ll learn plenty about how to cook up some very fine maple syrup and Sugar bush Farm. Because it is a four season farm you will also have the chance to have some great family fun beyond the maple syrup and the candy.
Sugar bush Farm in central Vermont welcomes visitors all year round to explore its explore its maple sugaring operation though the maple syrup making season only extends through April. You can visit the sugar house and see how tree tapping is done. You can also sample the four distinct grades of maple syrup that are prepared here while a staff member, probably a member of the family that has owned the farm for three generations, will gladly explain the maple sugaring process and gladly answer your questions.
On a good weather day, a really nice part of your visit to Sugar bush farm is the opportunity to walk outdoors and follow the trail that the horses take to the Maple Grove where the sap is gathered. Keep your eyes open for other residents of Sugar bush Farm like chickens, cows, rabbits and goats.
Sugar bush Farm also produces nationally recognized cheese products that you may want to try out as well or purchase and bring home as a tasty souvenir.
Harlow’s Sugar House, Putney, VT. Beginning March 1 – December Harlow’s Sugar House in Putney, Vermont is open so you can enjoy family fun at Vermont Maple Sugar Houses. The owners suggest that to really get a feel for the operation the best time to visit may be on the weekend when they ordinarily have the boiling process operational.
If your group is made up of folks with a real interest in local history this is probably the place to go. Members of the Harlow Family have been involved in this enterprise since 1927 when the story has it “Uncle Frank” put out ” a few hundred buckets”. Times have surely changed and so have the methods used in maple sugaring. If anyone knows the story of that development it is likely to some of the 4th generation of the Harlow Family that continue to work the farm today.
On your visit here you can check out the farm sales room an the Vermont Gift Shop also on the premises. If you enjoy your visit you may want to plant o return later in the year for pick your own raspberries, blueberries and strawberries.
