There is nothing better then waking up to hot fluffy pancakes smothered in maple syrup. In Wisconsin, the season to collect the sap for syrup is upon us.
“Some maple syrup producers started collecting in February and others have not started tapping yet. It all depends on the area you are in. The producers in the northernwestern areas still have some snow so they may not have started tapping yet,” said Theresa Baroun,Wisconsin Maple Syrup Producers Association Executive Director.
In Wisconsin there are over 3,000 maple syrup producers. Wisconsin maple syrup producers are unique in that they tend to be following a family tradition of syrup production. Many are still producing in their family’s sugar bush creating high quality maple syrup. Even though many Wisconsin syrup producers are following family tradition a large number of new hobby producers are entering the Wisconsin market in an effort to produce syrup and other maple syrup based products like cotton candy or even burbon.
Maple syrup like many other agriculture products can be categorized into different grades or categories.
“There are four different grades for maple syrup; golden, amber, robust and dark robust. Usually your golden syrup is produced earlier in the season and your dark grades are produced more toward the end of your season,” said Baroun.
Theresa also said that the different grades of syrup taste different and are used in different ways.
“They say the golden has a lighter taste and the darker have a deeper flavor. Your darker flavors you normally use towards cooking while your golden and amber you use on foods like pancakes and ice cream,” said Baroun.
To help celebrate the 2018 Wisconsin maple syrup season and the beginning of Maple Syrup Month there will be a first tapping event. The Wisconsin Maple Syrup Producers Association’s First Tapping event will take place Saturday, March 17th at 10 a.m. at the Maple Creek Sugarbush in Barron, Wisconsin. The event is open to the public and the tapping includes Alice in Dairyland helping to tap the first tree for Maple Syrup month, a tour of the sugarbush, and attendees get to enjoy pancakes smothered in Wisconsin maple syrup.
For more information on the 2018 Wisconsin maple syrup season and the First Tapping event visit the Maple Syrup Producers Association website, http://www.wismaple.org.
