BLOOMFIELD, CT (February 27, 2026) – At Touchpoints at Bloomfield, late winter brings with it a familiar and much-anticipated tradition. For the past seven years, team member Christine Bourbeau and her husband, Mark, have marked maple season by tapping trees on campus and transforming sap into maple syrup — a process residents enjoy watching unfold each year.
The season typically runs from mid-February through the end of March, when cold nights and milder daytime temperatures create the ideal conditions for sap to flow. Across Bloomfield, Mark taps approximately 100 trees each season, hanging buckets to collect the clear sap as it drips steadily throughout the day. About a dozen of those buckets can be found right on the Touchpoints at Bloomfield campus, offering a firsthand look at a classic New England tradition.
Throughout the season, the collected sap is transported to the couple’s sugar shack, where it is poured into a large pan and slowly boiled down over several hours. As the water evaporates, the sap gradually thickens and deepens in color, becoming rich maple syrup. The transformation from tree to table is both simple and fascinating — a reminder of how closely tied the process is to patience, timing, and the rhythms of the season.
For residents and staff, the annual maple season has become more than a hobby. It’s an opportunity to gather, observe, ask questions, and reconnect with a time-honored craft rooted in the local landscape. The same trees that provide shade in the summer and vibrant color in the fall now take on a new role in winter, offering a glimpse into the sweetness they hold.
