2020 Maple Syrup Crop Has Arrived

While the world goes on around us, we are keeping busy making Vermont pure maple syrup just for you.  There is something so comforting about being in the woods or at the sugarhouse, and we feel lucky to be able to continue this tradition.  Right now, it’s the perfect weather combination of warm days and cold nights that has the sap running.  We’re working hard to bottle up some Vermont maple goodness for you to bring into your home.

We started this process back in January, with our dedicated field crew working in the woods to get everything ready for the sap to run.  This involves tasks like clearing trees and downed branches, putting up clean new lines of tubing and finally, tapping the trees in anticipation of the “first run” of the year.  Most Vermont sugar makers are well on their way to 75% of their production at this point in late March, and we hope to finish up with a good season.

You can see the steam rising above the tree line well before you reach the sugarhouse.  The best part is the scent of pure maple syrup billowing out of the cupola as you arrive.  We currently run two large evaporators (aptly named as the steam escapes and the sap becomes more concentrated).  Before flowing into the evaporator pan to be boiled, the sap travels through a reverse osmosis machine (R/O) to expedite the process.  According to the UVM Extension Service, “sap can be concentrated to between 8 and 15% sugar (which removes 75 to 90% of the water) prior to heating in the evaporator.”[1]  The magic number is 219 degrees, when the syrup is ready to “draw off” the pan, tested for density, filtered and bottled or canned.

It takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of maple syrup, with a lot more time and effort going into that gallon.  There are hundreds of hours of manual labor that occur before one drop of maple syrup is even produced.  From splitting and stacking wood for the evaporator, to cleaning the sugarhouse and equipment to USDA standards, and miles of pipeline being installed – making pure maple syrup is a labor of love.  Per the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS)[2], Vermont was the top producer of maple syrup in the United States in 2019 with over two million gallons of syrup produced. 

We tap our trees conservatively and constantly strive for best practices to maintain the health of the sugarbush.  Organic certification has been achieved through a rigorous compliance process.  We are pleased to be able to produce and deliver certified organic Vermont pure maple syrup – from our farm to your table.  Thank you to all of our loyal customers for your support!     

[1] Reference: https://www.uvm.edu/extension/agriculture/

[2] Reference: https://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/New_England_includes/Publications/Current_News_Release/2019/Maple%20Syrup%202019.pdf

 



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