SHELBURNE, Vt. (WCAX) – Palmer’s Sugarhouse is tapping into maple season.
“There’s a really great energy in here that we have every year this time of year. People are excited for the changing of the seasons and coming in to just enjoy some of the environment, the smell of maple, the taste of maple,” Owner David Palmer said.
Sugarhouse employees say because of the mild winter, production looked different this year.
“It’s been bad, we need the snow for the roots, it hasn’t been that cold, and we need the cold, and we need the snow for these trees to run,” Rene Jodoin of Palmer’s Sugarhouse said.
“We didn’t have a lot of snow this year, but the season continues to go on for sap production. We’re really excited for that, there’s been some concern with sugar makers as always there’s always a curiosity as to whether we’ll make it through the season have great production so far people are doing well I think,” Palmer said.
The warm winter temperatures did affect how this sugarhouse operates. But Palmer is optimistic about the days ahead.
“Hopefully in the upcoming weeks, we’ll continue to have good production with mother nature, the freezing nights and warm days to make the sap flow and we’re looking forward to it,” he said.
The owner of palmer’s sugarhouse says it was challenging this season with the lack of snow but despite the obstacles they quickly came up with a solution
“We had some serious wind damage with sugar bushes and knocking down pipeline systems. We were fortunate in the pocket that we were in the sugar bushes that we operate were undamaged. We’ve converted to shaved ice for our snow which is mandatory,” he said.
Palmer’s Sugarhouse will continue have sugar on snow during maple season.