The production of Vermont maple syrup and other maple products is a thriving tradition that signals the arrival of spring. The sweet scent of boiling maple sap escaping area sugar shacks is just one of the many reasons visitors travel from around the world to experience springtime in Vermont!
The maple sugaring season usually begins in late February or early March in southern Vermont, and a little later in the northern part of the state. In order for the sap to flow, sugarmakers need a consistent period of warm, sunny days and cold nights.
Vermont has quite a few seasoned sugarmakers out there. After all, Vermont produces more maple products than any other state. Over 350,000 gallons of
maple syrup is produced here each year.
History of Maple Sugar and Maple Syrup
The first people to make maple sugar were the Native American tribes of the Northeast, who used it as a flavoring for breads, stews, teas, and vegetables. Native Americans also traded maple sugar for other products they needed. The French and English colonists were delighted with the taste of maple sugar, and eventually they learned the process of making it from the Native Americans. Maple sugar became the principal sweetener in North America. (Native Americans and colonists could not store maple syrup easily, so they used the dry form.) When cane sugar was introduced, New Englanders still preferred maple sugar because it was much cheaper and did not involve West Indian slave labor.
Once a staple of American life, the sweet products of the maple tree are now specialty items. Over the years, the price of cane sugar fell dramatically, and now cane sugar is the variety most Americans use every day. The popularity of maple syrup keeps Vermont sugarhouses going. As anyone who has ever tasted it knows, genuine maple syrup has a taste and texture that the imitations just cannot match. (In Quebec, cheap imitation maple syrup is called "sirop de poteau" or "pole syrup", suggesting that it was made by tapping telephone poles. We couldn't agree more.)
Maple Syrup Production
Many maple sugarmakers now use plastic pipelines and boil down the sap in modern stainless evaporators, but some still gather and boil the old fashioned way, with horse drawn wagons and wood fired evaporators. Steam rising from sugar shacks is a welcome sign of spring to come.
For more information about the history and production of maple products, visit our History and Production page.
Vermont Maple Events
During the first weekend of spring each year, sugarhouses around Vermont open their doors so vistors can see how real maple 
syrup is made. The Vermont Maple Open House Weekend is an unforgettable event for the whole family. Few can resist the aroma of boiling sap and the taste of fresh maple syrup. Vermont Open House Weekend is a great opportunity to try some traditional maple treats. Drizzle warm maple syrup over ice cream, or have cider donuts with your syrup. You can also try old-fashioned sugar on snow or maybe even a "sweet and sour" (maple syrup followed by a bite of pickle).
In April, Vermonters celebrate the end of the sugaring season with the Vermont Maple Festival in St. Albans. This annual event features specialty foods, cooking demonstrations, fiddlers, antiques, crafts, a carnival, a huge parade, and much more. More than 50,000 people attend every year!
Don't forget to bring plenty of Vermont maple products home with you. Real Vermont maple syrup and maple candy make great gifts for friends, family, and, of course, yourself!
| Vermont Sugarhouses by Region |
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Click Vermont map on region of interest.
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Champlain Valley Vermont Maple Producers
Burlington, Middlebury, St. Albans, the Islands of NW Vermont |
North Central Vermont Maple Producers
Montpelier, Barre, Randolph, Waterbury, Stowe, Mad River Valley |
Northeast Kingdom Vermont Maple Producers
St. Johnsbury, Newport, Barton, Lyndonville, Burke, Jay, Island Pond |
South Central Vermont Maple Producers
Rutland, White River Jct., Woodstock, Quechee, Brandon, Killington |
Southern Vermont Maple Producers
Bennington, Brattleboro, Manchester, Arlington, Newfane |
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