Join Drumlin Farm’s Maple Sugaring Program! At Drumlin Farm, the early spring is an exciting time that brings visitors of all ages. As babies are born and trees prepare to bloom, this time of year is also when visitors can experience our maple sugaring operation. We tap the old sugar maples along the entrance driveway, and boil the sap into syrup in an evaporator next to the admissions building. This syrup is then bottled and sold right here on the farm. This is one of the most beloved traditions at Drumlin—beloved by children and adults alike. Throughout the maple season, our education team hosts numerous events for the public as well as visiting school groups. Historically we have tapped and hung up about 100 buckets on both within the sanctuary, and neighboring property owners’ trees. As a result of climate change,<https://www.massaudubon.org/our-work/climate-change> we are experiencing milder winters and earlier, more unpredictable spring thaws which are resulting in lower yields and challenging sugaring seasons. In order to continue to produce enough syrup to support our educational goals here at Drumlin Farm, we are now seeking to tap additional trees this season.
If you have property in Lincoln that includes sugar maples that you would be interested in having the Audubon staff tap this season, we would love to hear from you! An ideal site would have at least 5 trees, and a place for us to park our pickup truck within a short distance of the trees, where we would be carrying out buckets of sap. Trees are large enough to be tapped if they have a circumference of at least a foot (an easy way to tell is to give your tree a hug... if your arms overlap, it’s still too young). The trees would be tapped by our experienced staff, who would then return every few days throughout the maple season to check and collect the sap. The season lasts a maximum of 6 weeks from February through March (specific dates vary based on weather conditions). As a thank you for sharing your trees, you’d receive a bottle of the maple syrup, as well as admission to our maple magic program. If you would like to participate, please reach out to dfgro...@massaudubon.org<mailto:dfgro...@massaudubon.org>. Thank you so much! More info about Drumlin Farm’s maple sugaring operation can be found at: The Art of Maple Sugaring<https://www.massaudubon.org/places-to-explore/activities/maple-sugaring> www.massaudubon.org/places-to-explore/activities/maple-sugaring Did you know? * Sugar Maples produce the best sap for sugaring because the sap has a higher concentration of sugar than other maple species, typically around 2%, but can vary from tree to tree and according to season. The final sugar content of maple syrup is 66–67%. * Sap runs normally occur in Massachusetts from mid-February to mid-March when night temperatures fall below 25 degrees Fahrenheit and days warm to at least 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
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