Maple sugaring guide

Maple harvest season is late February to early April. Maple shack map Find a New England sugar shack or maple farm near you.

From tap to table Nothing signifies the end of winter like a trip to an authentic sugar shack. Take a tour of some of New England's delectable sugar houses. Map Find maple shacks | Favorite maple spot? | Have a maple recipe?

Maple sugar 101

• Origins: Quebec, Canada, and Vermont

  Traditional harvest: A maple tree is tapped through the bark and into the wood phloem, the sap runs into a bucket, and collected daily.

  Processing: Approximately 40 gallons of sap must be boiled down to make one gallon of syrup.

  Season: Generally Feb., March, and April

  Interesting fact: A hole must be drilled in a new location each year because of the natural healing process of trees, also known as walling-off.

Plan your New England getaway

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More from The Boston Globe

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• Vermont syrup producers tap gold
• In Maine, spring yields its first sweet crop
• Sticky situation
• Merck center heats up to celebrate start of sugaring
• Local farms see success in production of maple syrup
• Pancakes, syrup, and centuries of sugaring off in Sturbridge