SLOW START TO SYRUP SEASON
Saturday, March 19th, 2005 -- 8:35 AM
Area maple syrup producers say the sap is slow as molasses this year. Kathy Hubing and her husband Jerry own and operate Hubing?s Sugar Bush outside of Loyal. Kathy says they usually start tapping their 1,200 trees around March 10th ? but not this year."This is a slow year. Very slow year," Hubing laments, "There's a lot of frost in the ground and that slows it up too."
The Hubings have been making syrup for around 30 years. While she couldn?t say this is the slowest year she can remember, Kathy says it is one of the slowest. They are still hoping that the sap will flow eventually.
"If the weather cooperates. If we have 40- to 50-degree days and freezing nights (we'll be okay). If it warms up and stays warm, we're done."
Nick Schneider at the Clark County UW-Extension office explains that trees produce sap to help break bud?s dormancy. It is mostly sucrose ? a naturally occurring sugar.
There are over 3,000 Maple Syrup producers in Wisconsin and over 100,000 gallons of syrup produced annually.
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