Wanting to celebrate Maine Maple Sunday without driving too far, my friend and I chose Cooper's Farm in Windham (and weren't surprised to see many other Portland-based faces there). Which advertised that they had maple syrup demos all day, complimentary maple syrup on ice cream, a self-guided walking tour of their farm, and maple-products for sale (including syrup, candy, coated nuts, cotton candy, whoopie pies, etc.)... and, yep, that's EXACTLY what we got! The only thing we were missing was watching someone actually tap a tree (or provide a hands-on demo of such a fun thing). Still... it was a great time! Mostly, Cooper's is a small farm raising registered AMHA mini ponies (which they've been doing since 2004). They also have a greenhouse, raise registered Charolais cattle, and have some gorgeous peacocks. All of which you can check out, take photos of, but shouldn't really be touching ("please don't feed your fingers to the mini ponies" being one of the better signs I've seen in a while!). We had a great time on Maine Maple Sunday, despite the negative temperatures thanks to a terribly fierce wind chill. We only had to wait in line for about ten minutes to check out the sugar shack (we arrived at 10:30am; when we left around noon, the line was out to the street though... lesson here? On Maine Maple Sunday COME EARLY), which was warm and steamy. The employees inside were abundantly nice, patient, thoughtful, and well educated. Kudos to them for maintaining those dispositions with the hoards of people coming through! There was ALSO a pancake and bacon breakfast for just $7.50, peacock feathers for sale for just $1, and - yes - loads of maple-based goodies. I left with some amber syrup "rich in flavor", candies, and maple coated cashews (which are sweeter and more maple-y than I expected them to be.... so sinful!). Yum. Anyway, if you're looking for somewhere close by to celebrated Maine Maple Sunday in years to come, Cooper's will provided a couple hours of entertainment for sure! read more

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I loved going to Cooper's Maine Maple Sunday! This was my first maple Sunday but if this is how it is every year I wouldn't mind doing it again (or at least stopping by to get some awesome maple products every once in a while). First we took the tour through the hut where the syrup is made. The gentleman working the station was very knowledgable. I wish I had more questions prepared for him. The tour ends in a shop complete with maple cotton candy, maple shakers, maple nuts (the cashews are AMAZING), amber and dark maple syrup, and maple candies. I bought everything haha it was all so good. Then as you exit you get a small vanilla ice cream topped with maple syrup. Super great addition to the tour even though it was cold outside. We were then able to walk around the premises and saw the most adorable mini ponies (one had a new born!). Then we found the cows, peacocks, pheasants, and trees that were tapped for sap. Cooper's for MMS (that's what the cool kids call it) was fun and educational. I would go to another event at this farm :) read more

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What a great experience! The folks working there served pancakes with or without your choice of breakfast meat (bacon or sausage). I politely asked for more pancakes since I don't eat meat and the woman serving didn't mind! The Amber maple syrup on our pancakes tasted very delicious. It wasn't too sweet that you'd get a headache and went so well with the pancakes. Next, we saw peacocks, cows and MINI HORSES! That's right, you saw those two words (mini horses). All of them are fun sized just like me and the horses each have their own personality for sure. One or two of them weren't feeling the human interaction, but it's understandable. It was fun and cute hearing one of the horses neigh for about two minutes because he or she was grateful for the attention! The peacocks originated from China and India. Their colors are very intricate and deep deep blue. I never knew they could withstand the brutal cold weather like we had today in Windham, ME! Lastly, we saw the ruffly cows and calves with beige/white coat. Cow manure stinks, but they are very beautiful and aren't ashamed to stare at you while they eat or do their business! Before leaving, we decided to wait in line to check out the store. Boy, was it blustery and frigid!!!! The folks ahead us made us laugh so it wasn't that bad a wait. Once inside, one of the guys working told us that it was too cold to retrieve sap from the trees so the water we saw showed the difference in maple syrup colors. Gold and delicate, Amber, and dark Amber is the sequence I believe from lightest to darkest! I bought the darkest because I want to taste the richness!!!! Aside from syrup, they have whoopie pies, honey, maple drops, maple candies, maple covered nuts, and ice cream for free :). Despite the cold day, we took the free vanilla ice cream with Amber maple syrup on-top and enjoyed every slurp. The only thing I regret doing is wearing sneakers. They got so muddy and wet, but my feet stayed dry. Next time, I'm wearing my Sorels or rain boots:) read more

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