MANITOWOC, WI – The Farm Wisconsin Discovery Center, in partnership with the Wisconsin Maple Syrup Producers Association, invites visitors to participate in their second-annual Maple Days: Friday, March 11, and Saturday, March 12. The two-day event will highlight local syrup producers and offer hands-on opportunities to learn about Wisconsin’s maple industry.

Family-friendly activities will run from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. both Friday and Saturday at the Farm Wisconsin Discovery Center. Guests will learn how to tap a sugar maple log, grade maple syrup, learn about the science of sap, make maple taffy, and sample pure Wisconsin maple syrup. Adding to the experience will be industry experts Theresa Baroun, Executive Director, and Michelle Stangler, Maple Marketing Intern, from the Wisconsin Maple Syrup Producers Association. All activities are included with paid admission to Farm Wisconsin.

On Saturday, visitors are encouraged to extend their experience beyond Farm Wisconsin with stops at three local sugarbushes. Inthewoods Sugar Bush, Maple Sweet Dairy, and East Ridge Villa will be open to the public from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. for guests to witness maple syrup production firsthand. Visitors can see the sugar maple trees, modern sap collection tools, and processing equipment that turns sap into sweet maple syrup.

Visiting three out of the four sites throughout the Maple Days event will enter participants in a drawing to win a gift basket filled with Wisconsin-made maple products, courtesy of the participating sugarbushes. Punch cards can be picked up and dropped off at any location.

Take-Home Tree-Tapping Kits

Ahead of the event, interested participants are encouraged to tap a tree at home, collect the sap, and bring it to any of the three participating sugarbushes. Tree-Tapping Kits will be available at Farm Wisconsin for those needing equipment and guidance. The kit includes tapping supplies and an instruction guide, walking through how to identify a sugar maple, when and how to tap the tree, and how to store the collected sap. Collected sap can be traded in at any participating sugarbush for a small bottle of pure maple syrup.

“Following maple’s journey from sap to syrup is a perfect example of the farm-to-table experience we strive to showcase at Farm Wisconsin,” shares Abigail Martin, Farm Wisconsin program manager. “Our continued partnership with the Wisconsin Maple Syrup Producers Association allows us to once again highlight industry experts in one of our state’s sweetest industries.”

Tree-Tapping Kits are available for $8 each in the Farm House Store at Farm Wisconsin now through March 19.

 

Wisconsin Maple Syrup Producers Association

The Wisconsin Maple Syrup Producers Association is dedicated to improving the ability of its members to produce & market the finest pure maple syrup in North America. Since the early 1960s, their goal has been to promote the consumption of pure maple syrup produced and processed in the state of Wisconsin. Today, the association is comprised of over 240 maple syrup producers throughout the state.

Inthewoods Sugar Bush

A true family company, Inthewoods Sugar Bush has been passed down for generations in the Wagner family. Together, their family mixes maple traditions with the latest technology to make their products. Their maple syrup is award-winning and has claimed multiple Best-in-Show and blue-ribbon awards.

Inthewoods Sugar Bush is located at 1040 S Union Rd., Manitowoc, WI 54220

Maple Sweet Dairy

Maple Sweet Dairy is rooted in over 60 years of maple syrup production. In 1964, Don and Ev Van Deurzen began by tapping only 50 trees and cooking in a small flat pan in the woods. ​Today, they run over 1,200 taps, 500 of which run on a solar-powered vacuum tubing system.

Maple Sweet Dairy is located at 4501 County Road W, De Pere, WI 54115

East Ridge Villa

Nestled in the glacial terrain of the Kettle Moraine lies East Ridge Villa. Humble beginnings in 2007 have transformed a hobby into a lifestyle for Pete and Karen Scheuerman, producing delicious wood-fired maple syrup and other maple products with the help of friends and neighbors who also participate in the sap collection.

East Ridge Villa is located at N5835 Ridge Rd., Plymouth, WI 53073

Farm Wisconsin Discovery Center

The Farm Wisconsin Discovery Center is a state-of-the-art, interactive agricultural education center located in Manitowoc County. Farm Wisconsin connects visitors’ curiosity to the wonder of Wisconsin agriculture and provides guests with a better understanding of their food sources and their importance. The center features 10,000 square feet of hands-on learning opportunities and a birthing barn where visitors may watch a calf being born. The center is a Trip Advisor Top Choice and was named one of Time for Kids’ World’s 50 Coolest Places of 2019.

 

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