The Inn On Golden Pond

It’s maple syrup season here in the lakes region of New Hampshire which is one of our favorite times of the year. This process is so fascinating and such a wonderful tradition that we always look forward to it. From the serious producers to the neighbors who simply hang old milk bottle on their maple trees everyone has a lot of fun. Our New Hampshire bed and breakfast is a great place to stay for a couple of days and venture out to several sugar shacks in the area. One year we tapped our own trees and produced some Inn On Golden Pond maple syrup. Attached is a description of maple season which is taken from the NH Maple Producers website. Who could describe it better?

“Each year, the New Hampshire maple industry produces close to 90,000 gallons of maple syrup. Maple sugaring time in New Hampshire runs from mid-February to mid-April.

As the frozen sap in the maple tree thaws, it begins to move and build up pressure within the tree. When the internal pressure reaches a certain point, sap will flow from any fresh wound in the tree. Freezing nights and warm sunny days create the pressure needed for a good sap Harvest.

In late February, New Hampshire maple producers tap their sugar maples by drilling a small hole in the trunk and inserting a spout. A bucket or plastic tubing is fastened to the spout and the crystal clear sap drips from the tree. It is then collected and transported to the sugar house where it is boiled down in an evaporator over a blazing hot fire. As the steam rises from the evaporator pans, the sap becomes more concentrated until it finally reaches the proper density to be classified as syrup. It is then drawn from the evaporator, filtered, graded and bottled. It takes approximately forty gallons of sap to make one gallon of pure maple syrup.

Maple syrup is made in the Northeastern United States and Southeastern Canada, and the maple season usually lasts 4-6 weeks. The days and length of the sap runs depend entirely on the weather.

We hope you will visit a sugar house during the maple season and learn for yourself just how this ancient tradition is carried on. New Hampshire’s maple producers take great pride in the high quality of their maple products. Many sugar houses are open throughout the year, selling their pure maple delicacies.”

Buckets to collect sap                                       Yummmm!                                 It’s boiling time!