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The West Virginia Encyclopedia
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The West Virginia Encyclopedia
Location/County: Pickens, Randolph
March 15, 2014 — March 16, 2014
In late winter, here in our mountains surrounding Pickens, when nights are freezing and days begin to warm, it’s maple sugaring time!
Next, we collect and transport the sap to a sugar house where it is boiled down in large evaporating pans making the thick, golden syrup. It takes about 45 gallons of sap to make one gallon of maple syrup. The hot syrup is then filtered and packed into storage jugs.
West Virginia has a long history of sugar making. The Indians made syrup first. They threw hot rocks into hollowed-out logs that were filled with sap. The early settler quickly learned to make the sweet stuff and use it as their main source of sugar. Today, maple syrup and sugar are widely used in cooking, baking, and as topping.
Join us for a full weekend of activities celebrating this tradition each year on the third full weekend in March! The 2014 festival takes place March 15 & 16.