Most of us have noticed the unseasonable warmer weather we’ve been having lately here in New York State. People are noticing all sorts of “early” behavior, from fiddlehead ferns sprouting already to spotting robins in their yards. This latest stretch has maple syrup producers and hobby farms alike frantically scrambling and staying up all hours of the night watching the sap flow in, especially last night.
Here’s a post from local Maple Moon Farm’s facebook post:
Maple producers all across New York State that took a VERY early gambling chance at tapping their trees at the beginning of the month with this warm weather stretch are reporting record-breaking sap runs this morning, some upwards of three gallons per tree overnight last night (Feb 8th-9th, 2024).
The Warm Weather Phenomenon:
The “sugar season” traditionally begins in late winter, when overnight temperatures are still chilly and daytime highs upper 30’s. My neighbor, who was frantically trying to keep his sap from overflowing his buckets this morning, told me this: