COUDERSPORT – A dozen area maple syrup producers will open their
doors to the public on Saturday and Sunday during the third annual
“Maple Weekend.”

Among the more visible good will ambassadors for the local maple
producers is Bryan Ianson, a retired postmaster from Coudersport
whose Brydonson Farm, on Ayers Hill Road between Coudersport and
Austin, is one of the region’s showcase operations.

From the same property that was settled by one of Potter
County’s pioneer families in the early 1800s, Ianson collects
thousands of gallons of sap and boils it down for wholesale and
retail sales.

“The tour is a great opportunity for people to see what maple
syruping is all about,” Ianson said. “This is wonderful product
that we should all be very proud of.”

Another proud producer is Larry Hamilton, operator of Hamilton’s
Maple Products, near Ulysses. His syrup was judged “Best of Show”
during the 2006 Pennsylvania Farm Show, Hamilton’s third such
award.

And what has Coudersport’s former cable television entrepreneur
John Rigas been up to recently?

This time of year, he can be often be found at the sugar shack
of his Wending Creek Farms. Rigas annually taps upwards of 7,000
maples on property north of Coudersport, boiling the sap in a
state-of-the-art evaporator and selling it commercially.

Visitors to the 12 farms will be able to witness production of
maple syrup, maple sugar and other products. Most of the operators
have been making syrup for a decade or longer and will be able to
describe the production process and answer questions.

The Potter/Tioga Maple Producer Association, formed in 1963, is
sponsoring this weekend’s tour. Many of the same syrup producers
will also be participating in Coudersport’s 41st annual Maple
Festival scheduled for May 4-5.

Potter County producers open for tours between 10 a.m. and 4
p.m. this Saturday and Sunday are:

* Brydonson Farm, 592 N. Ayers Hill Road, Coudersport. From U.S.
Route 6 east of Coudersport, turn right onto Route 872 South. About
two miles out on Route 872, turn left on Ayers Hill Road. Stay on
paved road for four miles.

* Wending Creek Farms, 1079 Baker Creek Road, Coudersport. Take
Route 49 east out of Coudersport. Turn left on Baker Creek Road.
Look for sugar shack and boiling operation.

* Charles Nelson and Sons, 214 Grover Hollow Road, Genesee. From
Route 49 in Mills, turn onto Route 1010 (Genesee/Mills Road). Drive
6.5 miles, then turn left onto Hillcrest Road. Take right on Grover
Hollow Road. First building on right.

*ðHamilton’s Maple Products, 19 Bunnell Road, Ulysses. From
Route 49 East in Ulysses, turn left onto Jackson Road (Route 1012),
then turn right onto Gee Hill Road. Follow sign at intersection of
Gee Hill Road and Bunnell Road.

* Rathbun Farms, Pinneo Hill Road, Shinglehouse. At Route 44 in
Millport, turn onto Eleven Mill Road. Drive five miles to Crystal
and turn right on Pinneo Hill Road. Sugar house is on the left.

*ðSappy’s Sugar Shack, 2426 Fox Hill Road, Ulysses. From Route
6, take Route 449 north for 3.8 miles to Brookland. Bear right on
Fox Hill Road (Route 1001) for 2.5 miles to intersection of Fox
Hill and Emmel roads. Sugar shack is on left.

Here are some sweet facts about maple syrup.

– Maple sap is 98 percent water and two percent sugar.

– Typical maple syrup is about two-thirds sugar and one-third
water.

-ðWeather conditions affect sap output, but under normal
conditions the average tap can yield upwards of 10 gallons of sap
in a season. Only about 10 percent of the sap produced by a tapped
maple tree is actually collected.

-ðFor each quart of maple syrup produced, about 10 gallons of
sap must be boiled.

– A maple syrup production farm is called a “sugarbush.”

– The U.S. and Canada are the only syrup-producing countries in
the world. Pennsylvania ranks fifth in the U.S. for maple
production.

-ðThe maple season may last for four to six weeks, but sap flow
is usually the heaviest during a 10- to 15-day period just after
the season’s midpoint.

– Maple syrup has the same calcium content as whole milk. It’s
rich in vitamin B and minerals such as calcium, potassium,
manganese, magnesium, phosphorus and iron. Each tablespoon of syrup
contains about 40 calories.

– Warm, sunny days and freezing nights are ideal conditions in
syruping season.