As winter winds down we see signs of spring, there’s no mistaking the sound of birds in the early morning and the change in the quality of light. The calendar tells us spring will not happened until Tuesday, March 20 and who among us is not ready for the change in seasons. While it’s still a good idea to keep the plow and the shovel accessible, we have every reason to be looking ahead to the new season.
The smell of home-baked apple pies filled Mack’s Apple Farmstand over the weekend as the annual tradition continued there with both traditional and non-traditional recipes.
And there’s no better way to mark spring than to celebrate New Hampshire Maple Weekend, which takes place this year on March 24 and 25.
Local maple syrup producers have found recent warmer days and cold nights just what they needed for the flow of sap in the sugar maples, and this coming weekend is the perfect chance to welcome the season with a visit to sugar houses in Chester, Pinkerton in Derry and Londonderry. Hank Peterson’s maybe gone but the sugar house on Peabody Row in Londonderry remains pen when the flag is out. Brian and Susan Folsom’s sugar house on Candia Road in Chester will be welcoming visitors from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday’s and Sunday’s.
Tastes of maple syrup, the quintessential New England product, are offered at sugar houses, along with the chance to purchase your winter’s supply of syrup for pancakes, baked beans, ice cream topping, or whatever else would benefit from that distinct maple flavor. People travel for miles and across state lines to see sugar houses in action how lucky we are to have them almost on our doorstep.
We encourage you to take this opportunity to support local agriculture and the “local food” movement you can’t get much more local than the trees with the buckets down the road and at the same time, have a great day participating in a New England spring tradition.
Soon enough, the sounds of the peepers will liven up the evenings, and the sap in the maples will stop flowing. Slowly but surely, the landscape will be more like spring and less like winter, as snow becomes a distant memory and spring flowers brighten our yards and kitchen tables.
So savor the moment as we hover on the cusp of a new season, and enjoy the sweet tastes Maple Weekend has to offer.