NEW YORK STATE -- You load it on your pancakes and drizzle it on your waffles, but have you ever thought of how maple syrup is made? This weekend, folks in New York will get the chance to see just that during this year's Maple Weekend.

"We'll be making syrup here just as fast as we can. We'll be explaining the whole process. We have storage tanks. We use ultra-violet lights to purify the sap," said Lawrence Rudd of Rudd's Maple Syrup.

Hundreds of sugar houses just like Rudd's will open their doors for anyone to come see this product that is unique to the Northeast. It's another way for New York to show off what local food is all about.

"It gets people into buying local again. A reminder we produce a lot of great agriculture and maple syrup is one of them. It reminds them. It gets them thinking," said Jefferson County Agricultural Coordinator Jay Matteson.

Thousands of people in Northern New York come to sugar houses just like this on Maple Weekend whether it's to see how maple syrup is made or what producers can turn it into. Whether it's the syrup you put on your pancakes, the maple treats or even lollipops.

"Like all the other maple producers in this area, we're just glad to be able to show this farm-fresh product here in the facilities where it's made," Rudd said.

And it's sure to be a weekend that will leave a good taste in your mouth.

For more information on Maple Weekend, visit www.mapleweekend.com