It’s sugaring time!  I dream about having my own sugar bush someday and extracting maple syrup every late winter.  Last year I shared my experience with how maple syrup is produced.  Fortunately there are lots of open house events around Columbus where Ohioans can witness sugaring without making a season long commitment doing it yourself.

Lil and Alex exploring a sap collection bucket at Malabar Farms in 2009.

Malabar Farms, Hueston Woods, and Hocking Hills State Parks are all holding Sugaring Events on March 6-7 and 13-14.  Details are on the Ohio State Parks events calendar.

On Saturday, March 6, 2010, from 10 a.m. – noon, Shepard’s Corner is offering a Maple Syrup Tour.  Learn all about maple syrup from the tree to your pancakes.  You’ll tour the words, see the boil, and take home a sample of fresh maple syrup.  The suggested donation is $7 per person or $5 per person for a group of 3 or more.  Register online by March 2, 2010.

On March 11, I will teach a Kids Cook class about maple syrup from 11:15 am – 12 pm at Sprout Soup.  We’ll taste a few different kinds, talk about the process of sugaring and make pancakes.  $4 per child.

Stratford Ecological Center in Delaware holds it’s annual Maple Syrup and Pancake festival on Saturday March 13 from 9 AM – 1 PM.  They serve breakfast, have wagon rides, and offer the whole farm experience for $8/adult and $6/child.

Please chime in if you know of another central Ohio sugaring event.