Brochure For

CT-Grown Maple Syrup Available

HARTFORD — The first Connecticut harvest starts when the snow is still on the ground and the nip in the air. Plumes of fragrant steam and wood smoke from a sugarhouse’s stack tell you it is the time for maple sugaring.

February and March are prime time for our state’s sugar makers! A growing Connecticut industry, more than 200 sugar makers produce the finest tasting maple syrup in the country. Freezing nights and warm days cause the maple sap to run.

American Indians taught Colonial settlers the simple process of boiling tree sap into syrup and this industry has flourished to this day. The process involves tapping into a sugar maple tree with a spout. The sap that flows out is collected in buckets or runs through a system of plastic tubing into collection bins.

The sap is collected and poured into an evaporator, usually wood fired, which boils off the water and leaves sweet maple syrup. Boiling the syrup even further produces maple candy.

The State of Connecticut Department of Agriculture has published its annual Ct Grown Maple Syrup brochure.

The guide helps readers find Connecticut producers that are open to the public. Day trips with a fun learning experience is a visit to a Connecticut sugarhouse watching and then tasting the sweet treats supplied to visitors. The brochure offers the name and address for each sugarhouse, plus a telephone number and, when available, a website address.

For more information, call the Connecticut Department of Agriculture Marketing Division at 860-713-2503.

To receive a copy of the 2006 Guide to Connecticut Sugarhouses, send a self-addressed, 39-cent stamped envelope to Maple Brochure, The Connecticut Department of Agriculture, 165 Capitol Avenue, Hartford CT 06106.