Get Ready for Maple Sugarin' Festivals

Whether you call them Sugaring, Sugarin', Sugar Maple or Maple Syrup Festivals, they're coming to a town near you.

These festivals are held throughout the U.S. wherever maple syrup is produced between mid-February and the end of April. Here are just a few examples:

Westminster, MD: Maple Sugarin' Festival, March 7, 2010

Monterey, VA: Highland Maple Festival, March 13-14 and March 20-21, 2010

Salem, IN: Maple Syrup Festival, February 27-28 and March 6-7, 2010

Maple syrup is nothing like the artificial, additive-infused corn syrup you're used to putting on your pancakes in the morning: true maple syrup has a rich, earthy flavor that varies depending on the region and the weather conditions during the tapping and cooking process.

These festivals draw crowds of people wanting to observe the ages-old tradition of boiling maple sap to get maple syrup. The collecting and rendering of the maple sap is an arduous activity that involves driving spigots into maple trees, hanging buckets or bags off of them, and regularly emptying these containers into a large kettle used to boil off the excess water in the sap. The basic rule is that ten gallons of sap produces one gallon of maple syrup, a process which takes hours upon hours to complete.

But you won't have to wait for the sap to be boiled to taste the sweet rewards of the maple sugarin'. There will invariably be copious quantities of the delicious golden liquid available for consumption at the festival. Expect also food of all kinds, from sandwiches to sausages to fries, all either cooked in or drenched with maple syrup.

In addition, festivals offer a variety of other activities, such as craft booths, children's games, historical reenactments and wildlife displays. They're a great way to enjoy nature's bounty as you participate in the first awakenings of spring.