Native Americans have been tapping trees - primarily maples - to make syrup for centuries, and the tradition continued when Europeans arrived.
The WMSPA celebrates that season during Maple Month, March 15 through April 15. If temperatures stay in the sweet spot, though, the season usually lasts about 45 days. In 2012, a quick warmup led to the worst maple syrup season on record, Baroun said. Once trees start budding, the sap becomes bitter and the season is done. If the weather turns warm again, however, that could also affect the season. Sap doesn't flow as well if there has been a drought, she said. That's a little later than usual, she said, since producers are usually cooking the sap into syrup by now.Ĭolder weather this past week could affect the flow, but overall “it should be a good season,” Baroun said, thanks to a wet fall that provided plenty of moisture for trees. In De Pere, where Baroun is, they tapped on Feb. Producers with tube collection systems have already started tapping this year, according to Theresa Baroun, the executive director of the Wisconsin Maple Syrup Producers Association. Last year, producers started tapping on March 1.
That usually happens toward the end of February. Trees require that mixed bag of weather - temperatures above freezing during the day and below freezing at night - to coax sap into flowing. The end of winter is not Wisconsin's best time of year, with its mixed bag of weather creating the state's fifth season, Mud.īut there is one sweet spot: It's maple sugaring time.
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