Relentlessly bitter temperatures mean maple sugaring season is still a good way off. That’s according to Beaver Meadow Brook Farm co-owner Barbara Lassonde. She says typically, her farm in Warner starts seeing sap runs during the last two weeks in February.
“Oh, I think it’s going to be a good season. It’s starting a little bit late, because we’ve had so much cold weather, the sap isn’t running yet," she says. "But once the temperatures warm a little bit, I think we’re going to have a good season.”
For sap to flow, trees need daytime temperatures to reach the 40s, and overnight lows below freezing. Over the past few years, New Hampshire’s sugaring season has been hit-or-miss for producers. 2011 was a record-breaking year, but the following season was lackluster due to an unusually mild winter.
Sugar houses across the state will open their doors for Maple Weekend later this month, on March 22nd and 23rd.
