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When Sap Starts to Run, Spring is About to Come

March 14, 2018 By marketeditor

By Himanee Gupta-Carlson

 

Slate Valley Farms, photo courtesy of Pattie Garrett

Pat Imbimbo starts plotting out spring in the cold darkness of January. For him and for his family, this means trekking across the 101 acres that make up their Slate Valley Farm, inspecting the health of their 2,600 or so maple trees, and preparing to install taps, buckets and other equipment needed to capture the sweet flow of sap when it starts running.

By tradition, Imbimbo likes to start putting the taps into the trees on the first full moon of the year, or shortly thereafter. Then, his daughter, Gina Willis, waits for him to tell her to start opening them.

Willis sells Slate Valley’s maple and honey products at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market. She smiles in delight as she recalls how customers start asking her in late January if the sap’s running.

“It’s the anticipation, the excitement,” says Willis. “A sign of spring coming.  It’s like that little animal … the groundhog. We wait for it to come out of the ground every year.”

In general, maple tree sap starts to flow when daytime temperatures rise above freezing (32 degrees Fahrenheit) and nighttime temperatures go below freezing. That fluctuation creates a pressure in the trees that encourage the sap to flow.

“We get excited as the time gets closer and closer,” says Willis. “We have one tree kind of near the house that sort of acts as a gauge for us. As the temperatures start getting warmer, we’re checking it all the time.”

Maple sap is the first official agricultural harvest of the year in New York State. But like the uncertainty as to whether or not the groundhog sees its shadow the actual beginning and duration of the season can vary. In addition, Willis notes, the sap flow is a bit temperamental. If it gets too cold or too warm, it might stop and then restart again.

Behind the excitement are long hours. Forty gallons of sap are required to produce a single gallon of syrup. The boiling begins as soon as the sap starts accumulating, often taking place at night when the day work is done and lasting for Willis sometimes until 3 a.m.

Visit the Saratoga Farmers’ Market 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays at the Lincoln Baths Building in Saratoga Spa State Park; follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram; and contact friends@saratogafarmersmarket.org for volunteer opportunities.

Filed Under: Featured Article, News Tagged With: maple syrup, Saratoga Farmers' Market, Slate Valley Farms, spring

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TGIF! We've got the perfect cure for an exhausting TGIF! We've got the perfect cure for an exhausting week: grab ready-to-eat meals to munch on this weekend while shopping for your groceries to meal prep for next week. (Pro tip: Petra's pita pockets never disappoint. 😉) Stop by the market this Saturday, 9:30am - 1:30pm at the Wilton Mall food court!
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Reminder to place your online orders by Thursday a Reminder to place your online orders by Thursday at 9 pm for curbside pickup this Saturday. Here’s a recent haul with a great variety of fresh produce and goods!

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Happy National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day! Here a Happy National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day! Here are a few of our favorite peanut butter products from around the market:

🥜Assorted Peanut Butters- Saratoga Peanut Butter Company
🥜Roasted Peanut Chocolate Chip Cookies- The Chocolate Spoon 
🥜PB Cookie Cups Organic Dog Treats- Mugzy’s Barkery 
 
Online preordering for curbside pickup this Saturday opens tonight at 9 pm, be sure to stock up on these tasty treats and more! Just click the “Shop Now” button on our page.
 
What’s your favorite peanut butter product from the market? Let us know in the comments! 
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Have you tried any of @nettlemeadowfarm's newest S Have you tried any of @nettlemeadowfarm's newest Schroon Moon spreadable cow's cheeses yet? Go for savory or sweet with 5 different flavors. Pick some up at this Saturday's market - we'll be open 9:30am - 1:30pm at the Wilton Mall food court!
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