Maple buckets are set to collect sap. (Provided photo — Diane Chase)

Of the Adirondack seasons, the sweetest one of all involves maple. It’s just a tiny blip on the calendar, nestled between winter and blackfly season. Yes, making maple has economic importance. Blah. Blah. Blah. I understand. But Mother Nature is letting us know spring is right around the corner. It comes at the perfect time. I’m ready to put away the winter gear, roof rakes and clunky boots and upgrade to a lighter jacket, springtime long underwear and clunky boots. I relish these warmer days and cool nights.

Another outlook: If you aren’t ready to embrace maple season, you might as well make, eat or drink fresh maple products while you can. Soon, the blackflies will be making a meal out of us. In true Adirondack fashion, sometimes we take, and other times we give.

We don’t have many trees on our property, but my husband manages to tap the five maples and produce (if lucky) a few gallons of syrup for our personal use. He carefully doles out the pint jars at the end of the season to certain family and friends. The phrase in our house is

If you don’t have a few maple trees available or don’t live on a commercial maple farm, Maple Day activities are natural, fun, and local options. Designated New York State Maple Weekends, March 22-23 and March 29-30, showcase the places for tastings, pancake breakfasts, story times and wooded walks. Check out the www.mapleweekend.com website and search for the nearest producer, activity and maple-made opportunity.

Some local options for sugarhouse tours, pancake breakfasts and samplings are Lake Placid’s Heaven Hill Farm and The Cornell Maple Research Station https://blogs.cornell.edu/cornellmaple/) both places are on Bear Cub Road, and Tupper Lake’s Wild Center Community Maple Program (WildCenter.org). The Wild Center Sugar Shack is included in admission and a pancake brunch is available March 22 for purchase. Each location provides a unique experience, from tours to tastings. There are plenty of other places to watch producers make my family’s favorite sweetener. Many restaurants and local shops sell local maple sweets and treats. There is even a Cornell Maple Program Sweet Talk: All Things Maple podcast to learn all about the sweet questions regarding making maple.

For our little maple-making process, my husband decides who is because he does all the work. I just drink the collected sap and steal sips as he boils the clear sap into golden syrup. Enjoy the season!