HARPERSFIELD, N.Y.—Sugarmakers are making a lot of light syrup, as the season hits its peak.

At Shaver Hill Maple in Harpersfield, N.Y. there was an hour-long wait for pancakes during the first of two open house weekends at the farm, with a big turnout of visitors.

Meanwhile, out of the 1900 gallons of syrup made so far, 1700 gallons of it was Golden Delicate, said owner Dwayne Hill.

“There’s an abundance of light syrup, that’s for sure,” he told The Maple News on Sunday.

Damian Hill said even the small backyard producers in the area had been making Golden.

“They’re all calling here telling us they can’t believe how much light syrup they’re making,” Damian Hill said.

Nearby, at Thompson’s Sugar Shack in Jefferson, owner Dan Thompson was also having a great season so far, with lots of light syrup made.

“It’s been a big year,” Thompson told The Maple News. “We made more syrup in February than we’ve ever made before.”

He said he made 1,000 gallons in February alone, and almost all of it light.

“It’s the most light syrup we’ve ever made,” he said.  “Eighty three light transmittance.”

In Vermont, in the central part of the state, the season was rolling nicely.

Mark Mitchell at Mitch’s Maple in Chester, Vt. was enjoying a big year, during a visit from the Maple News on March 11.

"It's all been very good flavor," Mitchell said. "Also the sugar content has been good."

Mitchell said he had a big February until the 23rd and then the taps shut down for two weeks.

In Wynantskill, N.Y., father and son team, Larry Skinner and Nick Skinner were enjoying their best season ever, and hosting big crowds for maple open house this past weekend.

 “We got on the train early—we tapped in January,” Nick Skinner said. They had made 80 gallons off of 250 taps, all on gravity.

 Bob Wood who sugars in Pawlet, Vt. was happy with the sugar content this year.

 “We’ve been averaging about 2.3 percent,” Wood said last week, much higher than normal at his farm.

Dave Clark, who sugars off of 5,000 taps in Alstead, N.H. was also cruising.

“It’s been non-stop,” Clark said on March 11.  “I’d like to get a day off. It’s been running day and night.”

He too, was making an entire crop of light syrup.

“It’s been nothing but Golden,” he said. “I have not made any dark and everybody wants dark.”

Just 20 miles up the road, in Washington, N.H. sugarmaker Shawn Atkins had barely started his season.

“We haven’t boiled since February 17,” Atkins told The Maple News during a visit on March 11. “It’s been so cold.”

Atkins had a bunch of snow in the woods, and that was before the massive snowstorm that hit the northeast last week.

In Pennsylvania, some sugarmakers were calling it quits for a season.

“We started on February 4,” said Ben Flora of Boswell, Pa. “We were real early and we were glad we did.  We could’ve even tapped a week soon.

Flora said his taps dried up last week and was getting yellow sap.

In the Finger Lakes region of New York, Mark Hoover of Penn Yan, N.Y. was having his best year ever. 

He told The Maple News he had made 300 gallons off of 850 taps as of Saturday.

“Pretty happy so far,” he said on Monday.