‘Cautiously optimistic’: Maple syrup producers expect a good season this year

Maple syrup producers in New Hampshire are expecting a season that could potentially outperform

Sunnyside Maples, based in Loudon, boiled their first batch of maple syrup on Valentine’s Day — a whole week earlier than anticipated.

production in recent years.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the state produced 167,000 gallons of syrup in 2022 — a 31% uptick from the previous year.

But Andrew Chisholm, the president of the New Hampshire Maple Producers’ Association, said with production starting earlier due to an “unusually warm winter,” this season could beat out last year’s.

“I’m cautiously optimistic about a good season,” he said.

Mike Moore, who runs Sunnyside Maples out of Loudon, said he had his first batch of syrup to boil on Valentine’s Day, when he usually expects the season to start about a week later.

Moore said he’s already produced 25 to 30% of his crop.

“And some producers were able to jump on it a week quicker than we were, so some people made syrup before I was even ready,” Moore said.

Maple season typically starts in February and ends in April, but warmer temperatures allowed some producers to begin tapping trees in early January — a whole month earlier than what’s normally expected.

“It’s the earliest start in years,” said Chisholm, who’s collected maple syrup for more than 40 years. “We’re having spring-like temperatures during the day, and colder temperatures at night,” he said, which is ideal for maple production.

As our climate changes, winter is the fastest warming season in the region. According to New Hampshire’s state climatologist, it’s warming three times faster than summer.

Moore said he’s gearing up for Maple Weekend, an annual mid-March event in the state for which sugarhouses open their shops to visitors.

“We’ll be doing our normal thing, and…we don’t know if we’ll have sap, but we’ll be boiling something, whether it’s water or not,” he said.

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It’s Maple Season: Sugar House Owners Make Positive Impact on NH Students & Community

There’s nothing better than real New Hampshire maple syrup.

Kate Stanley, her husband Tim Robinson, and the students at Madison Elementary School know that better than anyone.

Kate and Tim own Turkey Street Maples, a sugar house in Chocorua, New Hampshire. When she’s not producing maple syrup, Kate also works as a teacher at Madison Elementary. Thanks to her efforts, the school has integrated a hands-on maple sugaring experience into the 3rd & 4th grade curriculum.

This writer journeyed north last weekend to meet Kate, Tim, and the students, and learn more about what the program is all about.

According to Kate, there are 350 syrup-producing members in the NH Maple Producers Association, around 175 of which are open for Maple Weekend (happening on March 18 & 19 this year). Maple Weekend, Kate said, is “a celebration of mapling in New Hampshire. It’s a way to get the general public out and learning about maple sugaring and how it’s made.” During this time, sugar houses like Turkey Street Maples welcome visitors from all over.

So how does Madison Elementary factor into all this?

A few years after Kate began teaching at the school, she and principal Heather Woodward teamed up to create a program allowing 3rd and 4th graders to learn all about maple syrup and tapping as part of their curriculum. Each year during maple season (which lasts anywhere from 15-35 days), the students get to go outside and try maple tapping themselves, which this writer got to see firsthand.

Megan, Townsquare Media

The kids all had a great time, and you could tell that they not only enjoyed the experience, but genuinely love their school and teachers. Several parents were also present, and seemed equally grateful that their children had such a unique, hands-on learning

opportunity. It truly is an awesome program.

After we finished tree tapping, Kate showed everyone the evaporator, which boils the tree sap before turning it into the maple syrup we know and love. It

turns out that it takes a whole lot of sap – five gallons, in fact – to produce just one pint of syrup. Interesting stuff, right?

Read More: NH Sugar House Owners Positively Impact Students & Community |

Here are the Felker Award Winners:

First $300:Dannicia LeBlanc

Did a beautiful piece of artwork of a maple tree and used the handprints of all her siblings to make the leaves on the tree, as well as a binder with information regarding the process of making maple syrup as well as a very large collection of recipes. Age 10 Home school grade 4. Fremont, NH

Second $150:Tess LaValliere
Age 9 Grade 4
New Boston Central School New Boston

Third $50: Anders Hannu
Age 15 home school grade 8
New Ipswich

The New Hampshire Maple Producers Association is proud to sponsor the annual Walter A. Felker Memorial Award Program. Commonly referred to as the Felker Award, the program and the monetary prize, aim to encourage interest by New Hampshire youth in the Granite State’s great maple sugaring tradition.

Open to NH residents, age 16 and younger, entrants are tasked with creating a project focused on any aspect of NH maple sugaring. This is purposely broad to allow youth to think outside of the box. Science projects, art projects, historical projects or any other projects are all welcome.

To participate in Felker Award competition, each entrant must

1. Be under the age of 16 years old and a NH resident
2. Complete the submission form and include it with their project
3. Create a project on anything NH maple-related
4. Write an essay about their project
a. If submitting a maple syrup entry, a written summary of the process used
to create the entry must be included

Although exact dates vary from year to year, entries to the competition are generally accepted through the third Friday in June with the winner announced at the annual Summer Meeting of the NH Maple Producers Association.

All entries must to submitted an NHMPA board member or postmarked and mailed to Dale Smith, 207 Lull Rd, New Boston, NH 03070 by June 17, 2022.

This March the New Hampshire Maple Producers Association (NHMPA) is celebrating New Hampshire Maple Month! Maple products are some of NH’s unique agricultural commodities and maple making is a centuries old tradition in the state.

Maple syrup production is a key part of NH’s working landscape. Maple syrup is produced by collecting sap from maple trees. This is done by tapping maple trees and collecting the sap that flows out with tubing. Smaller operations or hobbyists may still use the old-fashioned method of hanging buckets on the taps, while larger producers have elaborate vacuum and tubing systems. Sap is then boiled to make maple syrup and other maple products.

When thinking of agriculture most people think of tractors plowing fields or cows being milked, but maple syrup is an agricultural crop that is produced in the woods. A maple producing forest is sometimes referred to as “sugarbush.” Much like agricultural fields, sugarbushes need to be maintained and cared for in order to remain productive. Keeping these forests in operation is something some NH maple producers consider to be an important contribution to the state. Rich and Jackie Menge of Maple Leaf Farm in Lyme said, “I think a big thing is that we are keeping the land in agriculture. It is giving us an incentive to not develop the property.” Similarly, Matthew and Barbara Patch of Patch Orchards in Lebanon said of their contribution, “We keep land open in the state of NH…and we are keeping it in farming.”

Maple is one of the top ten of agricultural crops produced in the state and in 2020 New Hampshire produced about 4% of the United States’ total maple crop. While sugarbushes produce sap for maple syrup during the maple season, all year round they contribute to a healthier environment, are habitat for many animals and birds, and provide recreation opportunities for people.

This month be sure to visit a local sugarhouse to see and taste the sweet maple products of the season in New Hampshire! To find a sugarhouse near you, visit the NHMPA website at www.nhmapleproducers.com.

Give cabin fever the boot this March by celebrating New Hampshire Maple Month! The maple season is ramping up and maple producers across the state will be opening their sugar shacks to share their sweet products and the maple making process. People from across the Granite State have the opportunity to experience one of New Hampshire’s most beloved traditions. Will Streeter of Mac Hill Maple in Tamworth said that during Maple Month, “everyone in sugaring is open so the public can see what we do.” Provided there is sap to boil producers offer demonstrations of the boiling process, as well as giveaways of some of their products like maple popcorn, candies, cotton candy, ice cream and more.

Maple producers have been busy in recent weeks getting their trees tapped and are now getting into collecting and boiling It is never a sure bet as to what the season will bring. As Will said: “It is hard to tell with mother nature.” However, he did say that there was no drought in the summer and there have been some cold nights this winter which are good for maple producing trees. Maple makers will be hosting open houses throughout the month, but especially on Maple Weekend March 19 & 20. To find a producer near you check out the New Hampshire Maple Producers Association (NHMPA) website at https://nhmapleproducers.com/directory/. Each sugarhouse will have their own hours, offerings, and Covid-19 protocols so be sure to check their listings or call ahead for details before visiting.