Since 2017, the State Senate has considered March to be “Connecticut Maple Month.” The designation is no coincidence. March in New England is when nights are cold enough and days warm enough for Maple trees to run their sap.
Vermont and Canada may be better known for their Maple Syrup, but Connecticut is also a significant producer, both commercially and in a surprisingly large number of home operations. Except along Long Island Sound, where the maritime influence reduces the range of this diurnal temperature variance, Connecticut is a producer of top quality maple syrup. Because it is produced so early each year, Maple Syrup is often called “Connecticut’s First Agricultural Product.”
Where are the Sugar Houses? The MSPAC is the Maple Syrup Producers Association of Connecticut. The Association publishes a nifty map of Connecticut that is similar to the maps of Connecticut Breweries and Wineries produced by the Connecticut Beer and Wine Trails.
Check it out on the MSPAC website, at:
Connecticut’s Maple Weekend
Members of the MSPAC hold their yearly Maple Weekend every March. This year, it takes place this Saturday and Sunday, March 20 and 21. The Sugar Houses will offer tours and explanations of how maple syrup is made.
Being in the great outdoors while visiting a Sugar House offers a nice escape in these days of Covid. But please make sure you wear masks and maintain distance from others while visiting.
Participating Sugar Houses include:
THE PROULX FAMILY 326 Mansfield Road (Route 89) Ashford, CT. 06278 (about 10 miles from Storrs, CT) (860) 429-1510 Email: mapleone@sbcglobal.net Webpage: riversedgesugarhouse.com
BATS OF BEDLAM MAPLE FARM Bob & Pat Dubois 101 Bedlam Road Chaplin, CT (about 8 miles from Storrs, CT) (860) 455-9200 Email: bob_dubos@charter.net Open Sat. & Sun., March 20th & 21st, from 12 Noon to 5 PM
SABINE’S SUGAR HOUSE Jack Sabine 72 Johnson Road Columbia, CT (about 11 miles from Storrs) (860) 550-4953Open Sat. & Sun., March 20th & 21st, from 9 AM to 3 PM
WILKINSON FARM Mat & Cindy Wilkinson Columbia, CT (about 11 miles from Storrs) (860) 228-0030 http://www.wilkinsonfarm.com/index.html Open Sat. & Sun., March 20th & 21st, from 10 AM to 3 PM
RICK’S SUGAR SHACK Rick & Jill Walker 69 Collie Brook Road East Hampton, CT 06424 (On Lake Pocotopaug, 8 miles east of Middletown; close to Fat Orange Cat Brewery.) (860) 267-7117 Facebook: Rick’s Sugar Shack Open Sat. & Sun., March 20th & 21st, from 10 AM to 3 PM
SWEET WIND FARM Arlow & Susan Case 339 South Road East Hartland, CT (Near the Barkhamstead Reservoir, on the Massachusetts Border) Open Saturday & Sunday, March 20th & 21st, from 10 AM to 4 PM (860) 653-2038 www.sweetwindfarm.net
BROOKSVALE PARK SUGAR SHACK Owned by the Town of Hamden 524 Brooksvale Avenue Hamden, CT. 06518 (On Route 10, near Quinnipiac University, just north of New Haven) (203) 287-2669 www.friendsofbrooksvale.org Open Saturday, March 20th ONLY, from 10 AM to 2 PM Event: public Maple Sugaring Day
BRIGHT ACRES FARM SUGARHOUSE 46 Old Kings Highway Hampton, CT (Near Brooklyn & Danielson, in northeast CT, off I-395. Added bonus: Sharpe Hill Vineyard is nearby!) (860) 455-9654 Open Saturday, March 20th ONLY, from 11 AM to 4 PM Features not only the Sugar House, but also maple products and locally-made goods in the Big Barn. Also features goats, geese and tractors.
WINDING BROOK SUGAR HOUSE Wayne Palmer 54 Skinner Lane Hebron, CT. 06248 (about 15 miles SW of Storrs, CT) (860) 228-0246 Open Saturday & Sunday, March 20th & 21st, from 10 AM to 4 PM
GOSHEN HILL MAPLES Pete Solari 1040 Goshen Hill Road Lebanon, CT (between Storrs and Norwich, CT) (860) 465-6582 Email: psolari6068@charter.net Open Saturday, March 20th, from 10 AM to 4 PM; and Sunday, March 21st, from 12 Noon to 4 PM
GREAT BROOK SUGARHOUSE Mark Mankin 140 Park Lane (Route 202) New Milford, CT. 06776 (just above Danbury) (860) 210-2030 Open Saturday, March 20th, from 10 AM to 4 PM; and Sunday, March 21st, from 12 to 5 PM