Maple Sugaring in New Jersey - Experience The Process And Find The Places

Maple sugaring has a history in New Jersey that began centuries ago with the Native Americans Indians and colonists.

This is an excellent winter family or kids group activity.

New Jersey is at the southern most region for the maple sugaring and as a result, today there are no commercial maple sugaring farms in NJ. While commercial farms are not available, New Jersey has a number of parks that conduct maple sugaring programs for education and demonstration purposes.

Maple Sugaring in New Jersey

Courtesy of the Environmental Education Center

While the maple sugaring process was started by native American Indians, it later evolved in the mid nineteenth century by farmers who began to use metal spiles, metal buckets, and metal tanks for sap collection and storage.

There are still many places in New Jersey that are open to the public where visitors can get to experience and become involved with the nineteenth century process of tapping trees by hand and making maple syrup. The process begins with the tapping of Maple trees, collecting the sap, and then producing the syrup by boiling over an open fire and evaporating it down to the final product of Maple syrup. It takes 35 to 40 gallons of sap to make a gallon of syrup.

Places to Go Maple Sugaring

Environmental Education Center
Somerset County Park
190 Lord Stirling Road
Basking Ridge, NJ
908-766-2489
2012 dates: Weekends, February 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19, 25, 26, March 3, 4, 10, 11. Saturdays - 10:00am, Noon, and 2:00pm, Sundays - Noon and 2:00pm. This special event program is free and for all ages.
Experience maple sugaring in NJ beginning with how trees are tapped, sap-collecting methods past and present, and the boiling process that produces maple syrup. A 90-minute program at the Sugar Shack, a ½ mile hike from the Environmental Education Center. Please arrive 20-30 minutes before heading to the Sugar Shack for your desired start time. Call ahead if the weather is questionable.

Buttinger Nature Center
31 Titus Mill Rd.
Pennington, NJ
(609) 737-7592NJ
January 21 and 24, 2012
Come help the Teacher-Naturalists get ready for maple sugaring season Listen to a short talk about maple sugaring, then help tap maple trees for this year's sap collection. Cold weather dress and boots recommended.

Essex County Environmental Center
621B Eagle Rock Avenue
Roseland, NJ
February 11, 2011
joedi@admin.essexcountynj.org
A walk in search of Sugar Maple trees. Here you "tap" a maple tree, collect collect some sap, and make some maple syrup. Return to the center for hot chocolate and sugar snacks

Great Swamp Outdoor Education Center
247 Southern Boulevard
Chatham, NJ
973-635-6629
Learn how to identify and tap maple trees, collect sap, and make syrup over a wood-fired evaporator. Taste-test different syrups at the end.
2012 dates: January 22nd to March 3rd. 2pm – 3pm.
The Maple Sugar Festival takes place on Saturday, February 26th, from 12 pm to 4 pm. In addition to the above regular programs, the festival will feature guided Hikes where visitors can witness outdoor stations set up to represent the sugaring methods of the Native Americans, early pioneers, Colonists, and present day maple farmers. They also have maple snow cones, maple-themed games and crafts, horse-drawn carriage rides, a real maple farmer selling his wares, and more.

Howell Living History Farm
70 Wooden's Lane
Lambertville, NJ
(609) 737-3299
An annual occurrence where the Farm taps several hundred Maple trees, collects the sap, which is then evaporated by boiling down the sap on an open fire, producing the maple syrup. This is a process with which school groups and Saturday visitors can get actively involved.
2012 dates:
February 4th, Visitors help the staff tap the trees and hanging the buckets to collect the sap.
February 25th and March 3rd. Visitors help turn the sap into syrup. The boiling process can last several hours, with batches of syrup being made through out day.

Lusscraft Farm
50 Neilson Road
Wantage, NJ
973-875-4800
Lusscroft Farm is a part of High Point State Park. They offer a Maple Sugaring Demonstration on March 17, 2012.

Washington Crossing State Park Nature Center
355 Washington Crossing-Pennington Road
Titusville, NJ
(609) 737-0623
2012 Dates: March 3rd, 1 to 2:30 p.m. Pre-registration required, Admission is free.
Visitors will learn and experience the history of maple sugaring by using homemade sumac spiles, crafted in the park. The program starts with an educational slide presentation on the history, folklore, mechanics, and science of maple sugaring. The group then hikes into the forest for a demonstration and some personal practice in sugar maple tree identification and tapping. There are extensive stands of sugar maple trees throughout the state park.

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