By Cliff White 

Staff Writer

In the quiet woods off Route 117 in Limington, nothing stirs. Snow covers the earth, and no breath of breeze blows to animate the bare tree branches into a pretension of life. Winter, it appears, is still going strong.

Yet, in these woods, Jeremy Ames says he can hear the coming of the next season. Dripping a second at a time with barely audible clangs into metal pails glistening on perches above foot-high drifts of snow, drops of sap sound the first faint calls of spring, Ames says.

Sap begins to run in maple trees in late February to early March, when temperatures fluctuate above and below freezing for several days in a row. The temperature changes stimulate a physiological change inside the tree, eventually forcing sap to move up and down throughout the day. With the aid of a tap or two (or three, depending on the size of the tree), Ames, who runs the Maple Ridge Farm at 1205 Cape Road in Limington, hopes to capitalize on the uniquely sweet properties of the sap, using a completely natural process to turn it into maple syrup, the much-coveted breakfast topping, and according to Ames, an excellent lunch and dinner topping, too.

With the knowledge that it takes about 40 gallons of sap to produce one gallon of maple syrup, Ames has tapped about 300 trees for this year’s harvest. A taste of the sap reveals it to have the flavor of water with a slight concentration of sugar. To make maple syrup, Ames has an evaporator, in which he boils the sap with a wood fire until it reaches a concentration density of 66 percent sugar content.

“It’s a time-consuming process, and there are days I spend more than 12 hours non-stop boiling sap,” Ames says.

Ames says he is never sure how much syrup he will have until the season – which lasts between two to six weeks – is over. Ames and other farms have reported this year’s sugar content at higher-than-average levels, meaning a better sap to syrup ratio. Ames has difficulty explaining what is causing the sap to be so sweet, but says maple trees are very responsive to weather conditions. 

“It’s all got to do with the weather. A winter that is warmer or colder, or drier or wetter, will affect how the maples produce sap,” Ames says. 

There are hundreds of sugarers, as maple syrup harvesters call themselves, across Maine. Most of the state’s commercial sugarers participate in Maine Maple Sunday, a festival celebrating the process and product that takes place on the fourth Sunday in March. This week, it coincides with Easter on March 23. Sugarhouses give tours of their facilities, explain how the process works, and give free tastings. 

At Maple Ridge Farm, Ames and his wife, Tracy, will host their version of Maine Maple Sunday, featuring an open sugarhouse and free ice cream and coffee, as well as maple syrup accompaniment.

There will be tours of the sugarhouse, sugaring demonstrations and activities for children including an Easter egg hunt at noon and a scavenger hunt at 1 p.m.  Syrup will be for sale all day, as well as pancakes from 8 to 11 a.m., and maple baked goods and hot dogs boiled in sap from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Ames says they hosted more than 200 people at last year’s celebration.

Ames says he is happy to impart his knowledge on anyone interested in learning the craft.

“Some sugarers don’t like to share what they know with others, I don’t know why,” Ames says. “I think it’s a lot of fun, and if other people want to get involved, I’d love to help them figure out whatever they need to know to start sugaring themselves.”

Ames says he only makes enough money selling maple syrup to pay off incurred costs.

“I call it a self-supporting hobby,” Ames says. “I do it because it’s a rewarding activity in itself. I love to be outdoors, getting to know the trees and become familiar with the woods, with how nature works. I love seeing for myself how one season differs from another.”

The Snell Family Farm on River Road in Buxton will host its maple celebration a week early in order to avoid Easter Sunday.

In addition to tours and free samplings, an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast will be served from 7:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. on both Saturday, March 15 and Sunday, March 16, for $8 for adults and $4.50 for children. A variety of maple products and Maine products will also be for sale.

 “Our celebration is different and unique because we serve our breakfast indoors, with a waitstaff,” Snell Family Farm co-owner Carolyn Snell says.

Sugaring and a devotion to maple syrup is a longstanding family tradition, and the family has tried to stay true to the techniques used by the farm through generations, Snell says.

“We have tried to keep it authentic. We physically haul each bucket of sap by hand. We stick to the bones of the process,” Snell says.

Snell says her family uses the maple celebration as a way to introduce visitors to the other products offered during other seasons.

“It’s a great way to get people thinking about the upcoming farming season, and see what else goes on at the farm,” Snell says. “Usually it’s mobbed – people really have a fun time learning about the process and getting some good food to eat.”

The flowing of sap in maple trees a sure mark of an impending change in seasons, Snell says.

“It’s a kick-off to spring,” Snell says. “A true spring tradition.”