The Official U.S. Maple Syrup Almanac 2014 2nd Edition | Page 46

OHIO MAPLE PRODUCERS ASSOCIATION PO Box 1100, Burton, OH 44021, [email protected], www.ohiomaple.org SUMMARY OF SEASON I f you were to take a poll of Ohio Maple Producers on Saint Patrick’s Day, I believe the majority would have told you, that the chances for an average season in Ohio would be slim. Up until that point, tapping had been delayed and there had been only a few short runs with minimal production. Lake Erie was 100% frozen and Old Man Winter held his icy grip on the buckeye state until March 18th. However, things were about to change. In the period of two weeks, producers went from what appeared to be a very dismal below average season, to almost record production. The weather from the 18th of March to the 9th of April changed everything. It literally turned the frown upside down. For the most part, production ended up good across the state but not everywhere. Tapping dates ranged from early February in the South to late February and 46 early March in the North. Most Southern Ohio producers were done by the 29th of March. In the North, the season lasted almost 10 more days, ending around April 9th. Many Southern Ohio producers, especially those on buckets, had marginal seasons. Across central Ohio, production was variable. In Western Ohio, production ranged from average to above average. The northern one third of Ohio remained very cold right through the 18th of March. This was really the start of the season in the north. In the next two weeks, production literally went from below average, to above average overnight. Two things helped Ohio Producers this year. The cold weather that slowed production in the beginning kept it going in the end. The other factor has been the increased use of vacuum tubing systems across the state along with the adoption of some of the new tap hole sanitation practices. I firmly believe that using technology like new spout and drops, and using check valves, kept production going well into April. The payoff was an extended season for many Central Ohio producers and near record production for some of the producers in the north. Ohio syrup quality like production was variable. The lower two thirds of Ohio produced a lot of ‘Dark Amber syrup. It was dark in color but it had a very