Despite the wacko warm weather sugar maple farmers are still working to produce their annual crop and, in what has become a really fun tradition, many in the area are opening their sugar houses to the general public this weekend so they can learn about this very Vermont specific form of agriculture.
For a listing of where you might find an open sugar house this weekend and lots of information about maple syrup, check out this site: Vermont Maple Sugar http://www.vermontmaple.org.
In the meantime, one of Woodstock Early Bird’s earliest participants, Betsy Luce, has sent us this update about what’s going on at her business, Sugarbush Farm:
(As some of you may remember Woodstock Early Bird is a true lover of maple syrup having written about how it helped begin her Vermont Flood Day Mornings with a pop of the nutrient-rich stuff in the ole’ cuppa’ java!):
Open House Maple Weekend is on at Sugarbush Farm this Saturday and Sunday. . We will be sampling all the grades of maple syrup, lots of maple products like maple cream, maple mustard and maple apple drizzle along with 15 cheeses.
As a local person you can imagine the hot weather has really slowed down the sap flow, but we have enough sap to boil for a few hours mid day on Saturday and Ralph and Jeff will be in the sugar house all day both days explaining how the season started about 10 days earlier than usual and will end earlier too.
Looks like we will make about 70% of what we did last year- but that was a best year ever for almost all sugar makers so probably unfair to compare to a super year.
Warm weather and our town road crews have done a great job on our roads..mud is literally dried up so now regular cars can come without any problem.
Thanks for passing along info to on our event and of course once sugaring is over, the sugar house will go back to the display and educational mode for the summer.
Don’t forget the Quechee and Taftsville bridges are closed- so give directions accordingly.
Betsy
Julia Carlisle
Woodstock Early Bird 
Posted by Rachel on March 24, 2012 at 12:33
Just returned from visiting Elm Grove Farm, on Cloudland Road and Sugar Bush Farm.
Delicious, warm maple syrup samples and at Elm Grove, fresh homemade doughnuts!!
Lots of fun and the roads are in great condition.
– Racehl Kahn, Vermont Knitter
LikeLike
Posted by Diana Brown on March 24, 2012 at 13:09
Top Acres in South Woodstock is also open with donuts, tours and free samples today til three and tomorrow 11-3. Mary MacCuaig and her family look forward to seeing you!
Diana Brown
LikeLike