Date: Fri 19-Mar-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

McLaughlin-vineyards-maple

Full Text:

Another Good Run For The Sugar Maples

(with photos)

BY STEVE BIGHAM

The annual maple syrup season in Connecticut is drawing to a close, but David

Wuchek remained busy this week creating the sweet stuff down at McLaughlin

Vineyards on Alberts Hill Road.

As Dave points out, it takes a lot of work (and a lot of sap) to get the syrup

on the breakfast table for your morning pancakes. First, the sap is collected

from Sugar Maple trees, using spigots or taps installed into the trees. The

sap then undergoes a boiling process in a wood or oil fired evaporator. This

dissolves the water out of the sap, leaving only the sugar. After one last

boil, what you have left is pure, sweet Connecticut maple syrup. It takes 40

gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup, Dave said. McLaughlin Vineyards

produces about 500 gallons of syrup annually.

As Ron Olsen of the Department of Agriculture points out, the time when sap

begins to run from maple trees is considered one of nature's most unique

outdoor events.

The sugaring season usually begins around February 1 and continues through

mid-March. According to Mr Olsen, the ideal conditions are sunny, above

freezing temperatures during the day and below freezing temperatures at night.

During this period, the trees undergo a physiological change, inducing the sap

to run freely.

There are over 100 sugar houses in Connecticut, including McLaughlin

Vineyard's newly constructed building -- complete with the maple leaf carving

adorning the roof.