Kid Tracks: Kid Tracks Column: Get taste at local sugaring house

When my youngest was 7 years old, she discovered the many treats of visiting a maple sugar house in late March. She was delighted to splash in every melted snow puddle at the farm and eat every maple sugar treat available at the sugar house. She was a sticky, muddy mess from head to toe and could not have been happier about it that day.

Officially called Maine Maple Sunday, the last Sunday in March is the calendar benchmark for the start of spring in this state for many families. Cold nights and warming days create the conditions needed for the sap to start flowing from the trees.

My kids keep a look out for buckets, bags and tubes attached to the trees in our area because that’s the signal that maple syrup treats will soon be in season.

We have sampled sap collected from the tree before being boiled and the clear liquid sap tasted like lightly sweetened water, not at all like the thick syrup we like. The first time we tasted the raw sap my 7-year-old declared, in her loudest outdoor voice, that she didn’t like the sap and wanted to know where “the real stuff” was.

We have taken many tours of sugar houses, which are open to the public on Maine Maple Sunday, and every year I’m impressed with the dedication these farmers have made to producing maple syrup. It is clearly a labor of love and tradition when you consider it takes 40 gallons of sap to make a single gallon of syrup. The process of boiling the syrup – from the wood stove that heats the sap, to the filter to rid the hot syrup of its “sand,” to the final bottling step – is not a quick process, even with modern equipment.

Every sugar house offers different maple treats to purchase but most offer free samples of syrup. My kids have been known to take a sample cup of syrup, designed to be poured over ice cream, and drink it straight-up instead. These days our maple treat shopping list has expanded to include maple fudge and cotton candy, which we buy a lot of to ensure there is some to take home for later. We have learned that a couple of squares of fudge does not last long enough to even make it to the car, let alone home.

If you’ve never been to a sugar house in the height of the season, take note: Wear boots and old clothes and bring your sense of humor. There is nothing neat and tidy outside the sugar house. And even if you carefully navigate your footing, plan on getting covered in mud because you have to factor in the errant child’s splash-by. Trust me, it is going to happen. But take heart that the sweet syrup and treats will make up for the messy conditions.

Although this special outdoor adventure is designed to feature the sugar house, my daughters have always found other fun as well. Many places offer a chance for kids to visit with farm animals, take wagon rides, watch demonstrations and other outdoor activities. And because those activities can add to the muddy mess, dress your kids in old clothes and boots. Actually, I’d also suggest packing an extra pair of pants and shoes so the kids don’t completely trash your car on the way home.

I do have to make note that there is a downside to Maple Sugar Sunday - the crowds. It has become such a popular event that the lines to get in the sugar houses can be long. It’s best to get to the sugar house early or check to see if the house is open on Saturday, as many popular ones have expanded their celebration of the season over a weekend-long event to better deal with crowd control.

Even after the official Maine Maple Sunday events are over, there are still opportunities for the curious to learn about sugaring. Several sugar houses in southern Maine have told me to stop by any time I see the steam rising from the sugar house. That’s the telltale sign that the sugar house is running and there’s someone happy to pass the time chatting with a visitor interested in sugaring.

Maine maple sugar season is a short one, so make your plans now to sample all the tasty treats of the early spring.