HONESDALE -- On Saturday, March 16, and Sunday, March 17, from 10 am to 4 pm, local maple producers open their sugarhouses to the public for the 2019 Self-Guided Maple Tour.
“This is a great opportunity to see the maple syrup process from the tap to the table,” says Wayne County Conservation District Forestry Specialist Kelley Stewart. It takes approximately 40 gallons of tree sap to make one gallon of maple syrup and the annual Maple Tour, presented by the Northeastern PA Maple Producers with the help of the Conservation District and Wayne County Penn State Cooperative Extension, is a great way to see how that happens.
This year, 9 maple producers are participating in the self-guided tour: Burke’s Maple, Nebzydoski’s Maple Farm, Shemanski Maple Farm, Sugar Creek Maple Farm, Watts Hill Maple Farm, Morning Sun Farm, Augusta Acres, Jouney’s End Farm, and Altemier Sugar Shack.
Visitors on the tour can expect to see different methods of maple syrup production from tapping, collecting, boiling, filtering and bottling. Stewart notes, “Each sugar house is unique in their syrup process and in the products they offer. Variations in color and flavor give each sugar house a distinctive syrup."
This tour is an excellent opportunity to taste syrup and support local producers, Stewart explains. “You can purchase maple syrup, cream, and sugar as well as many maple flavored items such as coffee, dressings, granola, etc.”
A delicious pancake breakfast with eggs and sausage will be offered both days of the tour. The cost for breakfast is $8 for adults and $4 for children up to 12 years old. On Saturday, March 16, the Newfoundland Moravian Church at 982 Main St., Newfoundland hosts the event from 8:30 am to 12 noon.
The Costello-Monahan-Brown American Legion, Post 964, will be serving breakfast at the Pleasant Mount Emergency Services Hall at 395 Great Bend Turnpike in Pleasant Mount on Sunday, March 17, from 8:00 am until noon.
For those who want the fun of the tour but not the hassle of navigating around the county, the Conservation District is offering a bus tour on both Saturday & Sunday. Starting from the Wayne County Park Street Complex, 648 Park Street, in Honesdale, the bus will depart at 8 am and return before 3 pm. The group will visit a handful of sugar houses and learn about the history and process of making maple syrup.
There will be taste-testing, time to shop and of course the pancake breakfast. This is an excellent opportunity for everyone including groups such as Scouts to learn about a long-standing Wayne County tradition. Cost for the bus trip is $8 for adults and $4 for children (12 and under) and includes breakfast. Otherwise there is no cost to visit the sugar houses.
For more information and reservations please contact Kelley Stewart at Wayne Conservation District by phone (570)253-0930, email kstewart@waynecountypa.gov.