MAINE, USA — A tradition for local producers and customers alike, Maine Maple Sunday Weekend is a celebration of a successful harvest of the breakfast table staple. This week, a handful of maple producers are putting the final touches on their batches.
In Winterport, Back Ridge Sugar House decided to bring maple syrup production into the future, investing in an oil-burning evaporator rather than wood-burning. Paired with a vacuumed tubing system rather than tapping with buckets, owner Josh Knipping said it allows him to still draw sap even if the temperatures aren't perfect.
"This time of year is the best: when we know the sap is running. It's coming in, maple weekend is coming," Knipping said.
He said this year he has collected over 70 gallons of maple syrup.
Starting from small beginnings tapping trees with his grandparents, Knipping said this year's success puts things into perspective.
"I've been doing this kind of off and on my whole life," Knipping said. "It's been a long road. It didn't happen overnight, but I'm glad we're here."
Starting down that same road in Dover-Foxcroft are owners Melissa and Jim Kearns of Duck Grove Farms. This year marks the team's first maple weekend.
"We really hope the community comes out and supports us...we're real excited to show it off," Jim said.
The two were mentored by a fellow maple producer a few years ago and inherited their equipment shortly after the producer passed the maple production baton onto them.
"It's a passion, no doubt about it," he added.
For more information about Maine Maple Sunday Weekend, click here.