Here’s How You Can Learn to Make Your Own Maine Maple Syrup

It's one of the best parts about living in Maine.

No, I'm not talking about shoveling your driveway or paying crazy amounts of excise tax, I'm talking about delicious, sweet and savory Maine-made maple syrup.

And, thanks to a new program, you can learn to make your own.

For years, we have been lucky enough to have friends who make several gallons of their own each year and give us some around the holidays. Personally, I think that the 'real stuff' is way better than the 'fake stuff'.

Sure, it's a labor of love and can be incredibly time-consuming, but to me, it seems as though the sweet payoff is well worth the investment of time and energy during the sap-running season.

According to an article published by the Kennebec Journal, The University of Maine Cooperative Extension will partner with various local organizations in York and Androscoggin counties to offer a series of maple sugaring workshops for beginners and small-scale producers this January and February.

The workshops are tailored for backyard and homestead-scale setups, requiring minimal initial investment in equipment. Topics will cover tree identification and tapping, sap collection and boiling, along with filtering, grading, and canning syrup, according to the newspaper.

The KJ said that the Southern Maine Maple Sugarmakers Association will present a workshop on Saturday, Feb. 1, from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the York County Extension Office at 45 Kennebunk Road in Alfred.

This session is designed to provide people with a comprehensive understanding of the maple sugaring process, according to the newspaper.

If you're interested in learning more, or if you want to register and make me, I mean yourself, some delicious Maine-made maple syrup, you will want to visit the MOFGA website to register today!