Maple Sugaring in the Adirondacks

Maple syrup production is a centuries-old tradition in the Adirondacks, and an important part of Adirondack life. Sugar Maple trees, preferred for their sap’s high sugar content, thrive in the Adirondacks. In addition, the temperatures in winter and early spring offer the ideal conditions for harvesting sap.

Adirondack Mountain Land’s owner Mike Black knows first-hand about the joys of maple sugaring. Following in the footsteps of our Native American ancestors, Mike harvests sap from the sugar bush of maple trees behind his home in Long Lake, NY, and makes maple syrup in a log sugar shack on the property.

Learn more about maple syrup production, and how you and your family can be part of this sweet seasonal experience when you own land in the Adirondacks.

A Celebrated Tradition

Adirondack maple syrup production is believed to date back to the Iroquois, and is said to have been discovered by accident when a tomahawk struck a maple tree and the sap seeped out. Thousands of years later, maple sugaring remains a deliciously sweet Adirondack tradition, and is integral to the agricultural industry of New York State.

Today, New York is the second largest producer of maple syrup in the United States, and the Adirondack Region accounts for more than 30% of the state’s maple syrup production. To celebrate this important agricultural tradition, sugar houses across the Adirondacks host annual Maple Weekends, opening their doors for tours, demonstrations, and pancake breakfasts throughout the month of March.

There’s even a museum dedicated to preserving New York State’s maple sugar legacy. Located in the western Adirondack town of Coghan, NY, the American Maple Museum opened in 1977. In addition to its educational exhibits, interactive events and demonstrations, the museum holds an annual Maple Queen contest, and inducts two maple producers into the American Maple Hall of Fame each May.

How Maple Syrup is Made

Sap harvesting typically begins at the end of February in the Adirondacks, when freezing nights and warmer days increase sap flow. To collect the sap, a tap is driven into each tree. In general, taps are placed in trees with a diameter of at least 12 inches, and there is only one tap per tree, unless it is over 18 inches in diameter. The tap is inserted into the trunk of the tree between four and five feet from the ground.

Producers may collect the sap in old-fashioned buckets, or use state-of-the-art plastic tubing that allows the sap to flow from to tree-to-tree, directly into a nearby sugar house for processing. Once the sap is collected in a storage tank inside the sugar shack, it is fed into an evaporator and boiled down to remove excess moisture. The syrup is moved to a finishing pan when the sugar concentration reaches 66%. As it cools, the maple syrup is filtered, tested, graded, and bottled.

About Adirondack Maple Syrup

It takes 40 gallons of sap to make just one gallon of pure maple syrup. Each batch of Adirondack maple syrup is held to rigorous standards and, as a result, New York State produces some of the purest maple syrup on the market.

Pure maple syrup has a sugar concentration of at least 66%, and contains natural minerals and antioxidants, including calcium and zinc. Maple syrup can also exhibit distinct flavors derived from the surrounding forests and fields.

Once the syrup is processed, it is tested and graded using the industry standards of Fancy, Medium Amber, Dark Amber or B.

Maple Sugaring Land for Sale in the Adirondacks

Although many of the maple groves in the Adirondacks have been forested, Adirondack Mountain Land has four new lots for sale with an abundance of sugar bushes for maple sugaring, as well as other mature hardwoods for chopping firewood. Our land for sale is also close to Amish country, and offers ample fishing in nearby Cranberry Lake and the Massawepie Ponds area.

Browse our land listings, or contact us for more information about maple sugaring land for sale in the Adirondacks.