The sap at Vermont Trade Winds Farm in Shoreham was boiling when we arrived on Saturday. Smoke and steam were billowing from the sugarhouse, and all I could smell was the sweet scent of maple.
Dave and I decided to take a drive to this Addison County sugarhouse during Maple Open House Weekend, an annual event when Vermont sugarmakers open their doors to the public.
Since we moved to Vermont four years ago, we've made a point to venture out to sugarhouses every year during Maple Open House Weekend. There's always such a strong sense of community at this event, and the sugarmakers are more than happy to talk to people about the process of making maple syrup.
As we all know, Sunday is the first day of spring. To celebrate, we're having pancakes for breakfast.
**If You Go: Vermont Trade Winds Farm
Vermont Maple Open House Weekend
Inside the sugarhouse.
Owner Tim Hescock loads wood into the evaporator.
Vermont Trade Winds Farm sugarhouse 
There is nothing like top grade amber maple syrup. Your pancakes are going to be delicious. Happy Spring!!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it wonderful! I just love the smell. There's nothing like it. So glad you and your husband take advantage of a great tradition.
ReplyDeleteI'm eating vanilla ice cream with syrup bottled this afternoon : )
Brings back memories from my childhood of making maple syrup with my grandfather in the Sugarbush Valley! Larry
ReplyDelete@Susan -- Happy Spring to you too! I am looking forward to having some maple syrup this morning. Hope all is well.
ReplyDelete@Sharon - Loved your sugar shack photo yesterday. Hmmm...maybe we'll pick up some vanilla ice cream today, too :)
@Larry - There's something so timeless about this tradition. I hope you can visit VT at some point during maple season.
I would love to see that for :) Once in school we had a visitor from Upstate NY and she was a maple syrup maker so she was telling kids all about it. very interesting :)
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in the Canadian Rockies last summer, I wanted to order pancakes but first had to know if the syrup was maple syrup. It wasn't, so I had eggs. How can one settle for anything less? Maple Syrup is one of the basic food groups.
ReplyDeleteI bet it tastes great! I love real maple syrup! Put it on my pancakes and sausage!
ReplyDeleteOh to be back in Vermont this week! Man am I craving some syrup right now... Mouth watering...
ReplyDeleteI love real maple syrup! There's nothing like it! I always have it on hand!
ReplyDeleteIt's the only maple syrup I'll use!
ReplyDeletei won't eat any other syrup either. grampie had to stir and tend to the syrup when he was a boy all by himself back in the day. he said he hated that and it was hard and lonely job but he tapped his trees once he had his own farm and carried on the tradition as an adult. i miss vermont!!!
ReplyDeleteThere's nothing like pure maple syrup from maple syrup country — Vermont! Pancakes with the real thing on top are the best taste in the world!
ReplyDelete