Tony Gaeta, of Gaeta Family Farm in Cambria has been making maple syrup for years. This year, thanks to warm temperatures, he started tapping his trees earlier than ever. That’s a good thing and a bad thing. Gaeta is already working, and not in the snow, but he’s also watching the thermometer, making sure it doesn’t get too warm.
Temperatures over 40 degrees, especially at night, can create an environment that’s conducive for bacteria in the sap. That type of sap is often unusable.
Gaeta says the perfect temperatures for capturing maple sap from trees is the low 40’s during the day and the low 20’s at night.
NYS Maple Weekendis March 18-19 and 25-26.