The first sign of spring even before the snow pack has melted is the flowing of sugar-laden sap up through the maple trees. The Native Americans were the first to discover this sweet treasure. The method of collecting this sugary fluid has not changed much over the years drill a hole into the tree, insert a tube, collect the sap as it drips out, then boil it down to a sweet syrup. On Sunday, March 18, from noon to 5 p.m., the Chester Eastman Homestead in North Chatham, N.H., will host its annual Maple Syrup Day. Help gather sap, watch the steam rise from the evaporator, and try some maple syrup, sugar on snow, and homemade ice cream.
Admission is free.
The Chester Eastman Homestead is 3.8 miles north of the Stow Corner Store on Route 113. For more information about Maple Syrup Day and other upcoming events at the Chester Eastman Homestead, call 694-3388. The Remick Country Doctor Farm and Museum in Tamworth, N.H., is celebrating the maple syrup season on Saturday March 17, with a sugaring off party. The museum, located in downtown Tamworth, will present a program showing how the practice of maple sugaring has evolved over time from early native American and Colonial methods to modern practices. There will be demonstrations of how maple syrup is made, starting with the sap from the tree to the boiling down of the syrup.