Morning Sentinel, KJ Interview Hopkins About Maple Sugaring Season

Kathy Hopkins, a maple syrup expert with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, was quoted in a Morning Sentinel and Kennebec Journal article on the start of the maple sugaring season and how weather affects sap flow. After a cold winter, there is a perception that the season is starting late, but Hopkins said that may be based on the early seasons that maple syrup producers have enjoyed over the past few years, according to the article. If a cold winter is followed by a quick warm-up, the season will be short and less syrup will be produced, the article states. “That’s the biggest thing about the amount — having perfect weather for six weeks or so,” Hopkins said. “If it gets too hot too fast, it can close the season down fast, and you run the risk of getting a buddy tasting syrup that tastes like green twigs.”