The Official U.S. Maple Syrup Almanac 2015 | Page 29

OHIO MAPLE PRODUCERS ASSOCIATION PO Box 1100, Burton, OH 44021, [email protected], www.ohiomaple.org SUMMARY OF SEASON I t was the first day of March, the trees were frozen and there was up to 30 inches of snow in some local sugar bushes. We had just come through the 4th coldest February on record with some temperatures going as low as 30 degrees below zero in the northern counties. This was not a normal start to the maple season and some producers were starting to wonder, if there was even going to be a maple season. However, by the 20th of the month tapping was completed and the sap started to flow. What started out as an almost certain disaster of a year began to show some promise. The runs were slow and steady at first. The peak was reached on the last week of March when traditionally the season would be wrapping up. It continued with good production into the first week of April and then it was over. When the steam cleared most producers were well under what they produced in 2013 and 14 but were very grateful to receive and average crop. The breakdown went as follows; SE and SW Ohio had a much later than normal start. They were backed up into March tapping; this is almost a month late for Southern Ohio. The result was a lower than average yield, with a good portion of the syrup being graded into the dark category. In Central Ohio the tapping was 10 days earlier than in Northern Ohio. They caught a few extra runs with an earlier start and production was average to above average. The producers on vacuum tubing really saw the benefits. Overall the syrup tended to be on the dark side with a lot of Amber and Robust bein