The sweetest weekend in Maine is right around the corner.
Maine Maple Weekend, once just the single-day Maple Sunday, returns for its 42nd season on Saturday. The annual showcase comes the weekend of the fourth Sunday in March.
More than 110 producers, from every corner of the state, will open their doors to visitors interested in learning how the sugary staple is cooked up — or, rather, down.
Each sugarhouse offers a different experience, including taste tests, treats, tours of the tapped trees and more. For a detailed map, including hours and activities, visit MaineMapleProducers.com.
Press Herald photographers caught up with producers at Greene Maple Farm in Sebago, Harris Farm in Dayton and Crooked Brook Farm in Wells. Pillars of steam rose high, as thicker and thicker samples of syrup flowed.
The maple season, when trees begin to release the sweetness hidden inside their sap, typically comes at the end of winter, according to the North American Maple Syrup Council. It usually takes around 40 gallons of raw sap to produce 1 gallon of syrup.
Keith Harris watches a thermometer while pouring maple syrup out of an evaporator into a bucket in the sugarhouse at Harris Farm in Dayton on Friday. The farm will be open both days of Maine Maple Weekend next weekend. Gregory Rec/Portland Press Herald
Lloyd Record feeds the fire while boiling sap at Greene Maple Farm in Sebago. Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald
Ryan Liberty of Crooked Brook Farm in Wells taps a maple tree on Tuesday. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Press Herald
Keith Harris rests his hand on a valve lever while pouring maple syrup out of an evaporator into a bucket in the sugarhouse at Harris Farm in Dayton on Friday. Gregory Rec/Portland Press Herald
Alan Greene, owner of Greene Maple Farm in Sebago, checks the density of the syrup while boiling on Friday. Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald
Alan Greene, owner of Greene Maple Farm in Sebago, adjusts the vents in the cupola of the sugar shack on Friday. Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald
Ryan Liberty of Crooked Brook Farm in Wells looks over the evaporator he is in the process of setting up in the sap house on Tuesday. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Press Herald
Lloyd Record feeds the fire while boiling sap at Greene Maple Farm in Sebago. Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald
Keith Harris checks the consistency of sap while pouring it back into an evaporator pan in the sugarhouse at Harris Farm in Dayton on Friday. Harris said they were boiling a little over 200 gallons of sap on Friday. Gregory Rec/Portland Press Herald
Steam vents from a cupola at Greene Maple Farm in Sebago. Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald
Sap drips from a freshly installed tap at Crooked Brook Farm in Wells on Tuesday. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Press Herald
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Join the Conversation
We believe it’s important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It’s a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others. Read more...
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
For those stories that we do enable discussion, our system may hold up comments pending the approval of a moderator for several reasons, including possible violation of our guidelines. As the Maine Trust’s digital team reviews these comments, we ask for patience.
Comments are managed by our staff during regular business hours Monday through Friday and limited hours on Saturday and Sunday. Comments held for moderation outside of those hours may take longer to approve.
By joining the conversation, you are agreeing to our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is found on our FAQs.
You can modify your screen name here.
Show less
Join the Conversation
Please sign into your Press Herald account to participate in conversations below. If you do not have an account, you can register or subscribe. Questions? Please see our FAQs.