- Maple Syrup
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Every spring beginning in
late February we begin tapping trees. We are currently tapping trees
at a family members home in Stetson. From there we transport the sap
back to our evaporator on the farm and process all the sap into
liquid gold syrup. While our farm does have a large population of
maples, many are either at the borderline recommended size for
tapping, or just below. Given that our trails are constantly under
construction, our trees on the farm do not allow for efficient
tapping given the numbers of trees that are of sufficient size. We
do have some rather large Red maples that are tapped and mixed in
with the Sugar Maples from Stetson.
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We use drop lines into
buckets, and while it is more labor intensive, it can be dismantled
and cleaned each season and put "out of sight, out of mind"
for the rest of the year.
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Our current evaporator is
a home built set up designed from a steel tank as the firebox. Metal
legs, pan brackets, and a roof frame were welded on. The evaporator
surface area where the sap is actually boiled is roughly 2 feet by 6
feet, and consists of 5 stainless steel buffet pans. The inside of
the firebox was built with racks and bricks to create an arch and
travel way for the flames. A temporary set-up until our garage is
built, the evaporator also has an old Toyota hood welded to the
frame to give some separation from the smokestack and the sap being
boiled. The roof is constructed of an old tonneau cover and some OSB
panels, and has a built in area for steam to escape. As our trails
develop, and our sugar bush continues to grow, we plan on moving the
entire set up into a nice spot downhill of the Maples, next to the
gurgle of Cove Brook, in a small cabin to be built.
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Most people do not
recognize the varying grades of Maple Syrup, and therefore do not
have a preference in grade they get. It is our personal opinion, and
almost everyone that we have met, that the darker grades of Maple
Syrup produce the best tasting, Mapley syrup. The addition of red
maples, longer boils times, and simple boiling procedures helps
ensure that we are producing some of the highest quality, best
tasting syrup available.
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Our maple syrup will be
available in season and throughout the year.
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For maple syrup pricing,
see our price
list.
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