Each spring, Indiana maple syrup producers open their “sugar shacks” to the public so you can experience the story of maple syrup. Take a walk through the woods on a brisk spring day, taste warm maple syrup just off the fire, make maple candy, and more. Mark your calendars on March 8th-9th and make it a point to visit a sugar shack or two.
In 1919, Indiana was the number one maple syrup producer in the nation. However, decades of removing trees have made the statewide industry move back in the scale of production. One hundred years ago, when Indiana was in front of production, there were no major maple syrup producers in the state, but lots of small farms harvested it during the winter harvesting lull. With gradual deforestation over time, the smaller farms disappeared, taking the maple syrup along with it. But Indiana’s maple syrup industry has started to grow in recent years. Indiana Maple Syrup Weekend offers people the opportunity to see the maple syrup making process at one of the 12 participating “sugar shacks” around the state. Franklin County is lucky enough to have two of them.
Stenger’s Sugar Shack started as a small maple syrup operation that has been passed through the generations. They started tapping just a couple of trees, but that turned into 10, which turned into 40, which turned into over a hundred. Stenger’s Sugar Shack will be open on Saturday, March 8th from 10 am to 4 pm. They will also have a variety of vendors set up at their sugar camp.
TreeHugger’s Maple Syrup is a small, family-owned, sugarbush in Laurel, IN. They started making syrup after discovering that the farm they bought was full of sugar maple trees. They thought it would be a fun hobby for the kids and a great homeschool project. So, they rigged up an old shed with a turkey fryer for the evaporator and old milk jugs for sap buckets. They were determined to become the best sugarers possible, and over the years continued learning, growing, investing, and building. All their syrup is made in small batches throughout the season. Each batch is unique, reflecting the conditions in the forest on the day it was made. TreeHugger’s Maple Syrup will be open both Saturday and Sunday, March 8th -9th from 10 am to 4 pm.
