Federal Grove Restaurant/Bed and Breakfast /Maple Sugar Works will hold the 7th Annual Federal Grove Maple Syrup Festival on February 23-25, in Auburn. At the festival, the public can view maple syrup production, including sap collection and the boiling/evaporation process, and sample the syrup at a pancake breakfast.
“This is a great opportunity for folks to see how maple syrup is made,” said Lee Blythe, owner of Federal Grove. “The festival is also a unique opportunity to buy other Kentucky-made products.”
Local craft and food vendors will also be at the festival including Lost River Creamery, Recycled Reads, Mama’s Soaps and Such, Eric’s Chainsaw Carvings, Rustic Woodworks, Country Breeze Market, Quality Custom Furniture, Crandal’s Popcorn, Dana’s Country Crafts and Kentucky Blacksmith Chase Saxton.
The festival is free and open to the public.
During the festival, Federal Grove Restaurant will serve a pancake breakfast on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Dinner menu is available from 4-8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday evenings and features maple-glazed pork chops, skillet-fried chicken and country ham.
Tent vendor hours are Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sunday 9-2. Free parking is available at Federal Grove, 475 East Main St., Auburn.
Maple syrup is made from the sap of sugar maple, red maple or black maple trees. Trees are tapped and the sap collected is heated and boiled to evaporate the water content. The end result is maple syrup.
Maple syrup season is mid-January to mid- March when temperatures are at or below freezing at night and rise to above freezing during the day.
Federal Grove is a member of the Kentucky Proud program and has been featured in Kentucky Monthly, Kentucky Living, SOKY Happenings and Prep magazines. For more information, contact Lee Blythe at (270) 542-6106 or www.federalgrove.com.