2023, The Year With No Maple Syrup In New York State?

Winter here in New York State sure has been interesting so far. The deadly blizzard that left mountains of snow across the Western New York area is now a memory and the piles of snow are melting. But what else is happening deep in the woods of the Empire State?

Typically, we think of the "maple season" as a spring type thing. In the past, the snow would be melting, winter would be ending and as we prepare for St. Patrick's Day we would be out visiting the many great maple producers sugar shacks. But how does the weird weather pattern affect all that?

I spoke with a local, Western New York, maple farmer and producer about that and he seemed positive about it. Dave Boxler, from Boxler Maple Farm says:

"We had enough cold weather before this warm spell to set the trees and, as I call it, to make good flavored maple syrup". He went on to tell me that, the weather temperatures aren't ideal. It's not freezing at night. We are not fully ready to drill (tap) but as soon as we are, we are going in to to drill before the next cold-warm snap".

This is good news for those who love that pure, golden, sweet maple syrup. The "Maple Weekend" here in New York State is set for March 18-19 and 25-26. That will be a great time for your family to get a hands-on and up-close education and experience of how maple syrup is made. And it will be the best time to get locally produced maple treats!