Maine Maple Sunday - YUMMY! March 27th

Maine Maple Sunday is always the 4th Sunday in March (although some farms have activities, demonstrations and samples on Saturday as well).

Oh, wait, you're NOT from Maine? What is this we are talking about? Do you kids think that Maple syrup comes from the grocery store? (or, worse yet, they have never had 100% REAL boiled from sap syrup??). If this is the case, Maine Maple Sunday is a great time to get out, educate your kids (and yourself)

In a nutshell, this time of year, when temps are above freezing, sunny and "warm" (well, this is a relative term for Spring conditions here in Maine) during the day, and then dip back down below freezing at night. sap in maple trees can be (literally) tapped and collected in buckets. This sap is then boiled down (at a ratio of approx 40 gallons of sap to make ONE gallon of syrup), and made into syrup.

More info:
Maine Maple Producers Association

• great description for the sapping process
• Map of Maple producers
  
• history of maple syrup making
• making and storing syrup
• recipes (beyond just topping your pancakes!!)

Sites with "open farm info" for Maine Maple Sunday

• Get Real Maine's Listing
• Portland Press Herald's Listing (this one is by county)
  
• check your local farms and/or sugar houses, often they welcome any and all to check out the maple syrup making process and offer samples - YUM.

We're heading here on Sunday (last time we went to MMS here, our youngest was still in my belly!!)
A Wrinkle in Thyme Farm in Sumner (lots of fiber animals to see there too!!)