GREENWICH, N.Y. — The Upper Hudson Maple Producers Association (UHMPA) is proud to take part in New York State’s annual Maple Open House Weekends. The Maple Weekends take place March 23rd-24th and March 30th-31st.
A tree tapping ceremony to kick-off the Maple Weekends in the region will be held on Friday, March 15th, at 12 noon at Schneible Maple in Argyle, NY. Local, county, and state government agency staff and elected officials will be on hand for the tapping; and the NYS Dept. of Agriculture and Markets Commissioner is invited to participate.
“We’re really looking forward to the educational aspect of Maple Weekends,” said Missy Streicher of Schneible Maple, which recently opened at their new location on Dutchtown Rd in Argyle, NY. “I have two daughters, and Chip [Schneible] has a daughter and son. We’re big on kids learning where their food comes from. I also run a vegetable CSA, and it was amazing to me that some kids didn’t know that potatoes grow on farms!” Schneible’s Maple is finishing up their final steps to be certified organic. They plan to have a sledding hill open during Maple Open House Weekends, weather permitting, along with tours of some of the operation’s maple taps. “We’re looking forward to getting customers out to our farm and getting to know our new neighbors. This is a great way to let people know that we’re here.”
The Maple Open House Weekends take place March 23rd-24th and March 30th-31st, from 10am-4pm daily. “We’re inviting area families to come and experience first-hand the sights, smells, and sounds of maple sugar-making,” said David Campbell, a Salem, NY producer and president of the UHMPA. The public is invited to take a free tour of 29 different Upper Hudson region sugarhouses and see how maple syrup is produced. “Most sugarhouses offer samples and demonstrations, and many of the locations serve a pancake breakfast, as well, for a nominal fee,” Campbell said.
Sugarhouses participating in the open house event are located throughout Washington, Warren, Saratoga, Rensselaer, Columbia, Fulton, and Hamilton counties. Several area producers are opening for Maple Weekends for the first time this year. They include Matt’s Maple Madness and Skinner’s Sugarbush LLC in Rensselaer County, MCR Maple in Warren County, Schneible Maple in Washington County, and Sugar Creek Farms in Saratoga County. “We’re very excited,” said Kathy Skinner from Skinner’s Sugarbush LLC, a small 280-tap operation in Wynantskill, NY. “We’ve never done the tour before because we haven’t had the space to host people at our farm. But we recently built a large garage. We’re very much looking forward to having people come out and see what a small sugar maker does.” Details for all of the farms participating can be found below.
Signs will be placed along roadsides over the course of both weekends to direct motorists to the sugarhouses. Please visit www.upperhudsonmaple.com for more information about the event.
New York is the second largest maple producing state in the U.S. When the sap begins to drip through sugaring lines, it’s a sure sign that maple season has begun and spring is on its way. As spring temperatures begin to rise in late February and early March, maple producers start making their sweet treats throughout the state. The Upper Hudson region is among the largest syrup producing areas in New York State.
The UHMPA is a trade organization representing over 50 different maple producers, including sugaring operations ranging from less than 100 taps to over 20,000. They work together to raise consumer awareness of pure maple syrup made in the Upper Hudson Region.
Participating sugarhouses for the 2019 Maple Open House Weekends are:
Battlehill Maple, Fort Ann, (518) 926-8764
Brower Road Sugar House, Gloversville, (518) 848-7685
Dry Brook Sugar House, Salem, (518) 854-3955
Frasiers Sugar Shack, St. Johnsville, (518) 568-7438
Grottoli’s Maple, Middle Granville, (518) 642-2856
Hidden Hollow Maple Farm Inc., Warrensburg, (518) 623-9406
Highland Maple Farm, Argyle, (518) 638-8586
Ioka Valley Farm, Hancock, Mass., (413) 738-5915
Kent’s Sugar House, Berlin, (518) 658-2134
Maple Acres, Granville, (518) 642-2557
Maple Valley Farm, Corinth, (518) 654-9752
Mapleland Farms, Salem, (518) 854-7669
Maple Leaf Sugaring LLC, Ghent, (518) 929-0484
Matt’s Maple Madness, Johnsonville, (518) 753-4352
McComb’s Oak Hill Farm, Speculator, (518) 548-6105
MCR Maple, North Creek, (518) 494-7497
Mud Road Sugar House, Ephratah, (518) 863-6313
Nightingale’s Maple Farm, Amsterdam, (518) 882-9334
Peaceful Valley Maple Farms, Johnstown, (518) 762-0491
Rathbun’s Maple Sugar House, Whitehall, (518) 642-1799
River Run Maple LLC, Granville, (518) 791-5633
Schneible Maple, Argyle, (518) 791-5633
Skinner’s Sugarbush LLC, Wynantskill (518) 283-7661
Sugar Creek Farms, Charlton, (518) 527-7772
Sugar Mill Farm LLC, Greenwich, (518) 692-2486
Sugar Oak Farms, Malta, (518) 288-8653
Toad Hill Maple Farm, Thurman, (518) 623-4744
Valley Road Maple Farm, Thurman, (518) 623-9783
Wild Hill Maple, Salem, (518) 854-7272
–Upper Hudson Maple Producers Association
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