Maple Syrup Producers Prepare For Maine Tradition [VIDEO]

Maine Maple Sunday is this weekend. Maple syrup producers across the state will offer free samples and demonstrations in syrup production.

More than 100 sugarhouses will open their doors to the public despite the cold temperatures and a slow start to the maple syrup season.

Maple syrup producer Tom Cox of Rockport (featured in the video above) says it has been a tough year.

"I have never had a year like this," Cox told the Penobscot Bay Pilot. "In the past, we would have one or two mornings of freezing temperatures that kept us from boiling, but not like this year. And everybody is having the same problem."

According to a UMaine study, Maine’s maple syrup industry is the third-largest in the nation and contributes nearly $30 million to the Maine economy each year.

For a complete list of participating sugarhouses visit the Maine Maple Producers Association website.