Maple season is underway in Connecticut. There are more than 200 sugar-makers in Connecticut and February through March are peak sugaring months, according to the CT Department of Agriculture.
"It is very busy, but there is nothing like coming out to the barn and making maple syrup," said Gayle Solari, who co-owns Goshen Hill Maples with her husband.
Solari and her husband, Peter, have more than 700 taps and hope to produce 80-100 gallons of syrup this year. They said the season is off to a good start and the sap is flowing well.
The weather also plays a major role.
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"It's all about weather. You want cold and then warm. The cold freezes the trees up and then when it warms up the sap is released," said Peter. "It's the fluctuation."
The season usually lasts about six weeks, but last year the weather did not cooperate and only had about four weeks.
"Producers did not do very well. It was cold too long," said Solari.
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Ron Wenzel owns Wenzel's Sugar House in Hebron. He has been making syrup for 35 years and agrees that this season is off to a good start.
"So far it's been pretty good. The weather is all important," said Wenzel. "We need cool nights and warm days, not warm days, warm days, warm days."
Wenzel said he loves sugar-making, just about as much as he loves his wife, and he looks forward to the season every year, even helping host the Hebron Maple Festival every March.
According to the CT Department of Agriculture, the production of maple syrup is the oldest agricultural enterprise in the country and CT ranks tenth.
To learn more about maple sugaring and sugar house locations in Connecticut, click here.
