A sweet tradition

Maple Harvest Day returns to Storrowton Village

By K eith O ’C onnor Special to The Republican

THE HISTORY AND tradition of maple sugaring in New England will be on tap at Storrowton Village on Saturday on the grounds of the Eastern Sates Exposition in West Springfield

“Our annual Maple Harvest Day, which serves as a welcoming to spring, has grown over the years and has become a tradition for families since our first event in 2006. While at Storrowton Village, visitors can watch the boiling process, then go indoors to see 19th century open hearth cooking involving recipes made with maple syrup. And when you arrive, or before leaving, you can enjoy a delicious pancake breakfast,” said Jessica K. Fontaine, director of Storrowton Village Museum.

“We will also have a maple syrup pop-up shop outside Potter Mansion where you can purchase maple syrup and other locally made maple products. And not far away from the outdoor store, visi- tors can do some additional shopping inside Storrowton’s Christmas Shop,” she added. Hours for the free event are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The historic Gilbert Farmhouse will turn into a sugarhouse for the day. Visitors can learn how the “liquid gold” is made, from tree tapping to sap boiling, with historian Dennis Picard.

“We will be boiling down sap into syrup in a large cauldron. There won’t be enough time to actually turn it into maple syrup, but we will be able to get a little color out of it and visitors will be able to smell the sweetness from the steam coming off the cauldron,” Picard said.

While the aim today is to reach the consistency of syrup, that wasn’t true back in early New England.

“Farmers back then would boil the sap all the way to sugar, which was one of the main sweeteners they would use all year long,” Picard said.

The well-known local historian and former director of Storrowton Village will explain to inquisitive visitors how sap was obtained by tapping trees with spiles made out of sumac, then collected into pails and poured into a large pot, which he said was “often used for other things around the farm,” for boiling.

While the advent of modern-day boiling equipment and methods to collect the sap would make it easier for farmers, that wasn’t the case for most from around the 18th century until around World War I, Picard noted.

“Most hill town farmers back then could not afford the investment in expensive machinery for something that only lasted a few weeks for them,” he said.

Also, as part of the special day, docent-led tours and 19th century craft demos will also be available.

Visitors can taste the “liquid gold” during a Pancake Breakfast offered by the West Springfield Lions Club inside the Village’s red Greenwich Barn. Held from 10 a.m. to noon, the breakfast features sausage, coffee, juice, and, of course, pancakes with New England maple syrup. Cost is $5 and all proceeds will be donated to Storrowton’s educational programs.

As a tie-in to Maple Harvest Day, the Eastern States Farmers Market and Wine Café will be open featuring a variety of maple products, apparel and hot maple wine and wine slushies from the Wine Café. Also, Storrowton Tavern will feature special maple-themed items alongside their regular lunch menu. The infused dishes include a maple vinaigrette for garden salads, maple glazed salmon with a maple infused butternut squash, and a maple walnut ice cream puff.

For more information on Maple Harvest Day, visit StorrowtonVillage.com.