SHELBYVILLE, Ky. (KT) – You may think of maple syrup as being produced in northern states, but Kentucky has over 100 tapping the trees, and agriculture officials declared February as Maple Syrup Month in the state, at a farm in Shelbyville on Friday.
“Maple syrup production has a storied history in Kentucky,” said Ag Commissioner Shell. “Through the years, production may have lessened but it’s making a resurgence and Kentucky is certainly blessed to see that. It adds that sweetness to Kentucky agriculture.”
In Kentucky, maple syrup production can be traced back to Native Americans long before Europeans arrived, according to the Kentucky Maple Syrup Association (KMSA). However, Native Americans used the tree sap to create sugar, not syrup. Settlers adopted the practice but modernized it and made sugar and syrup from the sap…