Sap, sugar, scrumptious in Vermont

There is a place we frequent in Vermont, and going up this time of year brings excitement from the car windows, seeing the billows of smoke from those tiny shacks, exclaiming "Maple Syrup Sold Here!" Make plans now to be a part of Vermont Sugarmakers 7th Annual Maple Open House the weekend of March 28-30. Sugarhouses throughout the entire state will open their doors, offering tours where visitors can watch the process of maple syrup being made, sample their maple products and experience the joy of this spring ritual.
"The importance of maple to Vermont is much more than the syrup produced each spring,” said Secretary of Agriculture Roger Allbee. “Sugaring also helps to maintain Vermont’s working landscape and the maple trees that provide sap also produce our famous fall foliage colors that bring people from all over the world to experience the beauty Vermont offers."

Our tiny Vermont is the nation’s leading producer of maple syrup with an annual production ranging between 400,000 and 500,000 gallons. With this year's snowfall, you may also consider getting in some skiing and staying the weekend, visiting the sugar shacks in between runs. More information about Maple Open House Weekend can be found online at www.vermontmaple.org.