Maple Syrup weekend in Chautauqua County will be the weekend of March 20 and 21, 2010 and March 27 and 28.
photo credit: Putneypics
Maple syrup buckets hanging from trees have become a sign of spring in the Chautauqua County area and nearby counties. Collecting maple syrup has been a tradition passed down through generations and taught to the American settlers by the American Indians.
Growing up in this area my family would tap the male trees on out property. After school we would collect the sap from the buckets and store it in milk can until we had a free night from after school activities or the weekend.
The sap would be boiled outside until it was quite thick and brought in the house for the final cooking.
Unfortunately one year the canvas tent caught on fire that covered our boiling pan. That was a little inconvenient and added stories that would be told in later years. But the really big event was the night my brother and a few friends decided to boil sap all night long.
Of course they fell asleep and the boiling pan was ruined. Now, that was not a funny story as the pan was expensive to replace. Maple syrup was produced by the family for several more years until we grew up and moved onto other projects.
Fresh maple syrup is wonderful in the spring and once in a while we would make maple butter or maple candy. It became a symbol of spring and we would look forward to the season – even if it was a lot of work.
If you live in the Chautauqua County area and would like to check out Maple Weekend check out the site for more information. You will be able to watch sap being boiled and various other stages of maple syrup production.
