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Maine Maple Sunday: See How Syrup Is Made
Pure Maine maple syrup is such a popular commodity that Native Americans used it as money. While maple syrup is no longer made by dropping red-hot stones into thick wooden containers of sap, it retains the same unique quality and flavor people have enjoyed for hundreds of years.
On the fourth Sunday of March each year, our state's sugar houses celebrate Maine Maple Sunday. Our real estate agents prepare you for this year's event on March 24 by sharing the story of making maple syrup along with our favorite sugar houses to visit.
How Maple Syrup Is Made
The maple syrup cycle begins when the first crow of the year flies, usually in late January. This marks the beginning of the "sweetwater" sap flow, which generally runs until mid-April. Even in these high-tech times, many sugar houses still follow the tradition of collecting sap in buckets hung from trees.
How valuable is sap? A large tree can produce a generous amount of 60 gallons in one year, but the end result is only about one-and-a-half gallons of maple syrup.
Sap spoils quickly, so once it's been gathered, it goes immediately into large holding tanks, which can accommodate as much as one thousand gallons. From there, the sap is steadily directed into an evaporator that maintains a constant boiling point. As the sap condenses, the syrup maker waits until it reaches a temperature of 219°F for the optimum sugar density.
The finished syrup passes through a filter to remove "sugar sand," which consists of harmless particles that make the syrup grainy and cloudy. Finally, the syrup is packed in sterilized containers for purchase.
- Raider's Sugarhouse - 148 Bog Brook Road, China 04358
Just in time for Maine Maple Sunday, Raider's Sugarhouse has a charmingly rustic new facility nestled in the woods. Husband and wife Doug and Gail Tibbetts founded Raider's in 2003, when they moved to their current home in South China surrounded by maple trees.
During those early days, now-grown sons Cameron and Glen boiled the sap in a large pot over a propane turkey cooker. The sugar house is even named after the family's lovable Husky-lab mix, who happily licks up any spilled sap.
People love the striking maple leaf-shaped syrup bottles so much that at least one couple has given them as wedding favors. Raider's will be open 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Maine Maple Sunday, so take a break from viewing China homes for sale and sample some a maple syrup sundae. - Tim's Sugar Shack - 23 Grand Army Road, Whitefield 04353
At Tim's Sugar Shack, maple syrup is truly a labor of love. Curiosity drove namesake owner Tim Chase to take up syrup making as a hobby, boiling sap in a cement block fire pit and giving the finished product to family and friends.
Little by little, Tim added on to the sugar house and eventually became a licensed syrup maker. His dark amber syrup has earned awards from the Maine Maple Producers Association, and visitors come from miles around to sample and buy his selection of maple products.
Local features such as Tim's Sugar Shack give Whitefield homes for sale a desirable sense of community. Tim's will be celebrating Maine Maple Sunday on both weekend days from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Want to learn more about houses for sale and communities in Central Maine? Our experienced real estate agents are knowledgeable resources on both. Contact us at Sprague & Curtis to find your perfect new home.