By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH.org
LOUDON — At Sunnyside Maples on Thursday, Gov. Kelly Ayotte tapped a maple tree, gave it a hug and kicked off what is the sweetest weekend of the year for many farmers in the 603, Maple Weekend in New Hampshire.
Hundreds of producers – from the largest maple producer in Acworth with over 5,000 taps to the smallest little sugar shack on a dirt road somewhere – are opening their doors to the public and boiling sap this weekend.
They are often offering free samples and answering questions about the process.
The annual ceremony was hosted this year by Mike and Cheryl Moore, whose family has been involved in sugaring for six generations. They have a sugarhouse on Route 106 built by the family in 1952 that serves as their retail site.
State Sen. Howard Pearl, R-Loudon, who is a maple producer himself, attended the ceremony.
He said this is a “big” weekend for maple producers and for his farm, with over 1,000 taps, the week represents about 75 percent of his retail sales a year.
While it has been cold the past few days, the spring rite has had a pretty sweet start this year.
Though it was a late start, he said the sap ran strong last weekend. He said he has only been boiling for about 10 days so far.
“Looks like it is going to warm up,” Pearl said. “Everyone should have some sap (during the weekend).”
Maples produce best when the nights are cold and the days are warm.
This was the Republican governor’s second experience tapping a tree, and she said she is “a work in progress … I take advice.”
Andrew Chisholm, president of the NH Maple Producers, introduced Ayotte and thanked her for attending.
The governor said the pleasure was all hers.
“I really appreciate the New Hampshire maple producers,” Ayotte said. “It’s such a fantastic part of our state and what a great tradition as we head into maple weekend. One of the things we are really proud of is that we have the best maple syrup in the world.”
At her house “fake stuff” is not allowed and the NH maple flows not only on pancakes but sometimes sweetens the coffee.
She declared March “Maple Month” in a proclamation and noted it is rooted in the agricultural heritage of the state.
The weekend allows all to learn about the process of production, and Ayotte encouraged all to get a sweet education.
To find a sugarhouse near you, visit www.nhmaplemap.com/sugarhouse-map.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, New Hampshire is ranked the seventh-largest producing maple product state in the nation with 152,000 gallons on average produced.
Vermont is by far the largest producer with 3.1 million gallons, followed by New York at 829,000 gallons, Maine at 549,000 gallons and Wisconsin with 556,000 gallons.