Maple madness time in Ohio

Geauga County

– March 10, 17, 24 and April 7, 14, 21, noon to 4 p.m., Geauga County Maple Festival Sugarhouse, south end of Historic Chardon Square, Route 6 and Route 44, Chardon City. Enjoy fresh maple stirs for $1 and other maple treats in working sugarhouse.

– Richards Maple Products, 545 Water St., Route 6, Chardon City. One hundred years of serving the local maple industry. Maple syrup gift shop with samples, maple candy demonstrations and 1930s operating sugarhouse.

– March 16 and 17 only, Salo Maple Products, 16434 Leggett Road, Montville Township. Producer with 12 years of experience with a backyard operation of 500 taps. Maple nuts and candy available.

– March 16 and 17 only, K-C Maple Syrup, 16350 Hart Road, Montville Township. Backyard operation with 300 taps using wood fired evaporator. First-place winner in the 2010 Geauga County Maple Festival syrup competition.

Hancock County

– Butcher Family Maple Products, 12740 Butcher Road, Johnsontown, Miller Township. Visit one of the largest maple syrup production facilities in central Ohio. See the process from tap to tasting. Enjoy vanilla ice cream with warm maple syrup on top along with other maple samples.

– Bonhomie Acres, 7001 Quaker Road, Fredericktown. Four generation sugaring operation. Wagon rides, cooking demonstrations and taffy pulling. Handicap accessible, but be prepared for mud.

Lake County

– March 9-10, March 16-17 and March 23 -24, Lake Metroparks Farmpark, 8800 Chardon Road (Route 6), Kirtland. Admission charged. A modern sugaring operation with buckets, tubing and sugaring displays. Maple syrup and candy samples available. Pancake breakfast served in the cafe.

Licking County

– Dawes Arboretum, 7770 Jacksontown Road, Newark. A self-guided walking tour of maple sugaring with displays showing maple syrup production from Native Americans to modern methods. Deep in the woods at the end of the walk is the 1925 log cabin sugarhouse with maple displays, samples and informed guides. Maple trees planted in 1918 now provide the sap to make syrup.

Logan County

– Moffitt Maple Farm, 6052 state Route 287, West Liberty, Monroe Township. The sugar camp opened in 1951 by Kaylor Moffitt. His sons continue the family sugaring tradition with 1,500 taps with buckets. See how maple syrup is made and purchase maple syrup, fudge and popcorn.

Mahoning County

– March 10 and March 17 only, noon to 5 p.m., Misty Maple Sugarhouse, 10644 Middletown Road, Salem, Green Township. Third generation syrup maker in operation since 1984. There are 1,000 taps on the property and another 2,000 from surrounding farms.

Medina County

– Maple Valley Farm, 8701 Hubbard Valley Road, Guilford Township. Fourth and fifth generation producers. Weather permitting, take a hay ride to the woods or tour the dairy barn and see calves and cows on a working farm.

Miami County

– Sugar Grove Maple Products, 6255 state Route 41, Covington, Newberry Township. This has been a working sugaring operation since 2008 with 1,900 taps in modern sugarhouse. Take a ride to the sugar bush and learn where maple syrup comes from. Enjoy fresh maple syrup on pancake samples. Baked goods will be available for purchase.

– Creekside Sugar Bush, 3567 Industry Road, Rootstown. You’re invited to visit a newly constructed sugarhouse and see how maple syrup is made. Enjoy free samples or purchase handcrafted items and goodies to eat.

– Apple’s Maple Products, 12008 state Route 88, Garrettsville. Learn about the rich maple history in Portage County, such as the tree large canneries that were in existence in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

– Cash Farms Pure Maple Syrup, 7057 Virginia Road, Atwater Township. This is a first generation sugaring farm, with the sugarhouse built in 2008. In addition to maple syrup, maple candies, cream, sugar and nuts will be available. For a small fee, enjoy a pancake breakfast and wagon ride through the sugar bush.

Seneca County

– Ziegler Farms, 8240 S. Township Road 171, Eden Township, Stark County

– March 9 and 10 only, Hawk Creek Farm, 8774 Dolphin St., Bolivar, Bethlehem Township. Hawk Creek Farm is a small family run farm that focuses on natural sustainable produced food, including pastured pork, grass fed beef and maple products.

Summit County

– March 16 and 17 and March 23 and 24, Maple Sugar Festival at Hale Farm and Village, 10 a.m.- 4 p.m., 2686 Oak Hill Road, Bath Township. Admission charged. Demonstrations include Native American sugaring processes and the history of the Hale’s production of maple syrup. Tour the village and see basket weaving, blacksmithing, glassblowing, spinning, weaving and more. Maple products available in store and a pancake breakfast.

Trumbull County

– March 9 and March 16 only, Hopewell Sugarhouse, 9488 Route 534, Mesopotamia Township. Mental health facility where residents help collect sap for traditional sugaring operation. There will be wagon rides to sugarhouse, maple syrup to sample and purchase, and shop in the Farm and Craft Market. March 16 there will be an Amish bake sale benefiting a local Amish school.

– Two Trees Syrup, 4938 Gardner Barclay Road, Gustavus. Entire operation on dry concrete with refurbished, smokeless evaporator. Maple syrup will be for sale and sample it on ice cream.

– Sutton Sugarhouse, 6200 Goff Court, Kinsman. A 50-year family sugaring operation with 5,000 taps in Kinsman Village.
Wayne County

– Sugar Bridge Farms, 5101 East Sterling Road, Creston. This is a new sugaring operation. The sugarhouse was built with lumber milled from the farm in 2010. There are 500 taps and 12 cords of wood are used to make the sap into maple syrup.