Twelve Warner area sugar houses are banding together to make this year’s Maple Weekend a memorable event. The annual open house weekend will be March 23 & 24, and these sugar houses will be open from 10 AM to 4 PM each day.
Visitors can start off with a pancake breakfast at one of two local restaurants, then begin their maple tour. At each sugar house, they will see how maple sap is harvested and made into pure maple syrup.
“Some maple producers collect sap and process it the old fashioned way, some use the most modern technology available, and others use some of both,” said Penny Courser, sugar house coordinator. “No two sugar houses are alike. These are different sized operations using different methods.”
Producers are offering free tours of their maple orchards and sugar houses, as well as free samples of syrup and other treats. Some sugar houses will have sap collecting for kids, discussions on the fascinating history of maple sugaring, or other attractions. This is a weekend to cure cabin fever, savor the spring-like weather, and participate in an activity the entire family will enjoy.
“Most of these local producers have been sugaring for a long time, and they enjoy talking about the process. It’s a great way to spend the day with the family,” Courser said.
Here are the participating sugar houses in Warner:
Baker’s Syrup, 611 Newmarket Road; Bates Maple Syrup, 6 Collins Road; Beaver Meadowbrook Farm, 402 Rte. 103 East; Courser Farm, 427 Schoodac Road; Kearsarge Mountain Maples, 984 Kearsarge Mt. Road; Rogers Maple Syrup, 133 Couchtown Road; Zock’s Maple Brook Farm, 98 Birch Hill Road.
Webster sugar houses include: Covered Bridge Tree Farm, 412 Tyler Road; Hi/Lo Farm, 266 Pond Hill Road; Kimball Family Maple Syrup, 390 White Plains Road; Tall Maples, 1141 Route 127; Turyn’s Tap’n & Sap’n, 11 Clough-Sanborn Rd.