What’s the most popular thing on tap in Syracuse during this time of year?
No, it’s not what you’re probably thinking.
It’s maple syrup season. The maple trees thrive during the period right after winter when there are cold nights and warm days.
“Those weather changes actually create the perfect environment,” Mike Spicer, a sophomore at Hamilton College explained.
The temperature changes help the tree take in the water and nutrients it needs as well as pressuring it out of the trunk.
While he’s not studying or attending track practice, Spicer is pursuing his passion for producing maple syrup. He was inspired to make syrup when he went on a school field trip when he was 11-years-old to visit a local producer.
“It’s only a couple months out of the year, but it’s a crazy year. I love the challenge,” Spicer explained.
“The past two weeks I’ve had this agenda of what I write down for the day or something and all of a sudden, it’s ultimately mother nature who’s calling the shots in this business,” Spicer said. “I have no control over that, so it’s been a long two weeks especially since I’ve been on break and we’re in the heart of the season. The challenge is really interesting to me.”
Recently, Spicer found out the Cedarvale Maple Syrup Company, a business opened for over 40 years, was not going to produce syrup anymore. Naturally, he asked the current owner if he could help out.
“He wasn’t like a lot of producers where maybe they will start with buckets or they’re born into syrup,” Spicer said when describing the current owner. “He went full out with tubing and everything and built this place up.”
The Cedarvale Syrup Company taps over 12,000 trees every season.
The company is participating in New York’s Maple Weekend, and they hope to have hundreds of visitors this weekend for tours, tree tapping, and demonstrations.
