PORTLAND, Maine — Thousands of Mainers are pouring native maple syrup on pancakes and over ice cream as the state’s sugar houses open their doors for Maine Maple Sunday.
The annual event is a celebration of Maine’s maple syrup industry, when syrup makers around the state welcome the public to view the syrup-making process and taste some samples.
Maine is the No. 2 syrup producer in the country, behind Vermont.
The event always falls on the fourth Sunday in March, but a number of sugar houses were open Saturday as well.
The warm weather has brought an early end to the syrup-making season for many sugar houses this spring. That means some operations will be boiling water instead of sap on Sunday when demonstrating to the public how syrup is made.