MOUNTAIN TOP, Pa. — Bill Urbanski knows how to find that sweet spot on a red maple tree. He's been doing it on his family farm in Mountain Top for as long as he can remember.
"Since I was a kid. We started in '76; my oldest brother actually started the operation in 1976. As a hobby, he decided to go tap some trees. He tapped 13 trees in 1976. We're up to about 450, 500 right now."
In a good season, that'll get Urbanski Farms about 3,000 gallons of sap, which turns into almost 50 gallons of maple syrup.
But the farmers are at the mercy of Mother Nature.
"You gotta wait until it gets above freezing; ideally, above freezing during the day, below freezing at night. You need that fluctuation above and below freezing for the sap to flow," explained Urbanski.
It's still too early to tell how this season will turn out. But it's a pretty safe bet, it'll be better than last year.
"Last year was pretty miserable—very short season. We had a late start and finished up early last year because it got warm too quick," Urbanski said.
But at Urbanski Farms, they're not really in it for the money.
"It's a labor of love for the family. We don't really have a big enough operation to turn much of a profit. Most of the money we make goes right back into buying jugs for next year buying supplies for next year. It's more of an opportunity to bring the family together and bring friends out to the property and just enjoy outdoors," Urbanski said.
Syrup should be ready for bottling by next weekend.
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