The 2019 Somerville Maple Syrup Project kicks off on Sunday, January 27 with the Tapping of the Trees event outside Tufts University’s Tisch Library.

This January, the annual Somerville Maple Syrup Project returns for its 16th season, beginning with a local maple tree tapping and culminating in the annual Maple Syrup Boil Down Festival on March 16th at Groundwork Somerville’s urban farm at 138 South St.

A series of maple-related events will lead up to the Boil Down event, with plenty of opportunities to get closely involved in the tapping and syruping process right here in Somerville. Each year over 1000 community members participate in the maple events, including over 500 Somerville students.

The season will kick off with the Tapping of the Trees on Sunday, January 27 at 1:00 p.m. outside Tufts University’s Tisch Library, followed by a Maple Brunch hosted by the Independent in Union Square on February 18, and finally the Boil Down Festival on March 16. Later in April, there will also be a special Maple Beer Release Party with waffles at Aeronaut. Throughout this time, Groundwork Somerville is seeking volunteers to help collect sap, teach maple-themed curriculum to second-grade students, and even start some early season boils.

The Somerville Maple Syrup Project is coordinated by Groundwork Somerville in partnership with the Somerville Community Growing Center, Somerville Public Schools, and Tufts University, and is supported by an amazing roster of sponsors including Cuisine En Locale and ONCE Somerville, Whole Foods, The Independent, and Aeronaut Brewing Company.

What began 16 years ago as the small-scale tapping of a few trees on Tufts campus has now grown into a fully-fledged educational project that involves organizations and individuals throughout the Somerville community.

Throughout the season, Groundwork Somerville staff trains and supports community volunteers as they teach a 4-week arts and science curriculum to 2nd graders at Somerville’s public schools and lead educational activities at the Boil Down.

Community members of all ages are invited to the free Boil Down event at Groundwork Somerville’s urban farm located at 138 South St. between 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 16. Sap from local sugar maple trees will be boiled down into pure maple syrup over a hot fire, using a “boiler” built by Somerville high school students. Attendees can expect syrup-tasting, kids’ activities, live music, tapping demonstrations, and more. Waffles, hot drinks, and Maple Syrup Project T-shirts and posters will be on sale to support the continuation of the program as a free offering to schools.

Check the Groundwork Somerville Facebook page and website for updates on this year’s tapping and maple-themed events throughout February. Use #maplesyrupproject2019 to follow the maple syrup news or to post about the event(s), and join in at this unique outdoor festival as we celebrate this delicious winter food tradition and our local urban resources.

For information about The 2019 Maple Syrup Project, the education series, or syrup production contact Casey Merkle, casey@groundworksomerville.org or call 617-628-9988.

About Groundwork Somerville:

Groundwork Somerville creates jobs, food, green space, and leadership opportunities for environmental justice-oriented communities and individuals, through programs that address areas of healthy education, green jobs and sustainable communities. They work with children and teachers in school garden classrooms to connect experiential learning to state curriculum standards, and young people to their environment; they provide jobs and leadership training to low-income and underserved youth in our community; and they are stewards of 31 sites throughout the region, which we maintain, cleanup, and grow food in, including the South Street Farm – Somerville’s first urban farm; the Mystic River; and Garden Classrooms in all nine public middle and elementary schools in Somerville.