Maple has broken like the first dawning, and the commonwealth celebrates next weekend with Massachusetts Maple Weekend.
And celebrate we shall, by heading to the hilltowns to meet some of the folx that are being recognized not just locally, but internationally for the way they handle sap. Boyden Brothers Maple in Conway has been sugaring for 4 generations, and its current stewards are utilizing methods old and new to create a wide swath of maple products all season long and beyond.
We meet Howard Boyden, the latest of his line to helm the endeavor, and learn more about the nuances of sugaring, including his role in supporting maple producers across the continent, his family’s history in the business, his wife Jeanne’s award-winning candy, and some of the ways their production differs from others.
And our weekly chat with Rep. Jim McGovern traverses the weirdness of the state of the union, venturing into the comments and behavior of President Donald Trump at the event, and the ripples those behaviors have on the many issues that affect all of us. Plus, we forward a great listener question on fact checking.
Note: We incorrectly refer in this episode to Massachusetts Maple Weekend as happening on this weekend, Feb. 27-March 1st. Massachusetts Maple Weekend is actually occurring on March 7 & 8.
