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02/12/2020 08:00 AMIt’s the season for maple syrup in Connecticut and thanks to the sweet set up at Bushy Hill Nature Center, visitors and locals can see firsthand how syrup comes to be.
Traditionally, in this part of southern New England, tapping for maple sugar begins in the last week of January or the first week of February, explained Brendan Hyland, associate director of Bushy Hill Nature Center and onsite sugarer.
With only a few fleeting weeks to gather the good stuff, Hyland has already tapped 60 trees and has plans to tap an additional 40 trees. It takes approximately 40 gallons of sap to make just one gallon of syrup, so the task is an arduous one, but in the end, the bounty is worth the work, explained Hyland.
“Ideally we would like to see warm sunny days and cold nights, these are the best conditions for maple syrup season,” said Hyland.
So far, things are going well despite the unseasonably warm weather.
“We got 200 gallons in our first weekend of tapping, so that was great, but then the next couple days we only got 50 gallons, because it was so warm,” he said. “So, we will just have to wait and see. Mother Nature isn’t perfect. That’s what makes it so beautiful.”
Hyland said his favorite part of this aspect of his job is watching kids come and visit the sugar shack and see firsthand how the clear liquid sap is transformed and cooked to create the golden syrup.
“After they learn how it’s made, and then they taste it, the smile that comes across their face is the best part for me,” said Hyland.
The Bushy Hill Sugar Shack is open to the public on Saturdays, Feb. 15 and 22 and March 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 253 Bushy Hill Rd, Deep River. For more information, visitbushyhill.org.