maple season

March is maple month! Not just in Massachusetts, but all over New England. Celebrate all things maple all month long, but especially during weekend maple celebrations.

If you do anything before spring finally arrives this year, go visit a sugar shack. Even just one, especially if you’ve never done it before (even Maura Healy recommends this). It’s one of the best New England-y things you could ever do for yourself.

Although many sugar shacks are open to visitors at various times during this short glorious season (typically mid to end of February through March), some smaller producers are only open to the public during their state’s maple weekend, so you have the most opportunities to visit at that time. Check out each state’s listing for more details on times and producers.

Massachusetts will be first, with its Maple Weekend on March 8-9, 2025. You can also use the MassGrown map for maple in Massachusetts (I find it a little easier to navigate than the Mass Maple Producers’ Association website).

New Hampshire and Connecticut share March 15-16, 2025 for their statewide Maple Weekends. New Hampshire came out with a new “Find a Sugarhouse” app to help you track down sugar shacks all over the state.

Maine will have their Maple Sunday Weekend on March 22-23, 2025, which I guess means Sunday starts early up north.

Vermont will share time with Maine this time around–its Spring Maple Open House Weekend is March 22-23, 2025.

Rhode Island does not have any type of central listing (in fact, the University of Rhode Island has a maple page with producers from all of the New England States, excluding Rhode Island, plus New York), but this Edible Rhody article from 2022 will point you to a few producers in the Ocean State.

And if you end up with extra maple syrup, make yourself a late winter cocktail recommended to me by the folks at Sap Castle in Rutland, MA. Sap Castle is THE BEST name for a sugar shack I’ve come across yet (their sugar shack is the one in the picture, above).

Easterner

2 oz rye whiskey (any whiskey will do, but rye works especially well in this drink)

1 oz grapefruit juice

1/2 oz maple syrup

Add all ingredients together in a cocktail shaker filled with ice; shake until cold. Strain into a glass and enjoy. (If you don’t have a cocktail shaker/strainer, just stir everything together in a glass with ice.)

Cheers!