Massachusetts Syrup Season Begins With 'Maple Weekend'

BOSTON (AP) — It's yet another welcome sign of spring: The start of the local maple syrup season.

The Massachusetts Maple Producers Association is celebrating its annual Maple Weekend on Saturday and Sunday.

Sugarhouses around the state are holding open houses and many restaurants are highlighting menu items made from pure maple syrup tapped in the Bay State.

The tradition of sugaring, as it is known, occurs in late winter and early spring in New England and hasn't changed much over the years.

Farmers use tubes and buckets to collect sap from sugar maple trees and then boil it down to maple syrup in sugarhouses.

The association says Massachusetts has more than 300 maple producers turning out about 50,000 gallons or more than $3 million worth of maple syrup each year.