We are a small family-run maple sugaring business in West Danville, Vermont. Our maple syrup is carefully made with filtered, boiled sap from the maple trees on our 105 acres. The trees are wild and untreated and have been growing for more than 150 years in some areas. Being a small producer, we are able to use the traditional sugaring methods of boiling on a wood-fired evaporator and bottling small batches by hand to preserve the history and craft of sugarmaking. We love being part of this tradition in Vermont and hearing sugaring stories that have been in families for generations.
HOW IT'S MADE
There's something about gathering around a wood fire with family and friends, with the smell of maple syrup slowly filling a sugarhouse, that brings people together. There is an art and science to making maple syrup, and every bottle has many hours put into it and a different story to tell.
COLLECTING SAP: At the end of February, we begin tapping trees and wait for a warm day to thaw the sugar woods. This thawing creates pressure in the trees causing the sap to run. Each tap is connected to a web of food grade tubing which allows the sap to flow from each tree directly to our sugarhouse.
BOILING: When we've collected enough sap to begin boiling, it flows to a stainless steel evaporator in the sugarhouse where we boil about 30 gallons of sap per hour. The sap boils until it reaches a sugar content and density that indicates it is syrup. It is then drawn off for canning.
CANNING: The maple syrup is put through a filter press and heated to a temperature of 180° to be canned in our glass bottles. The temperature of the syrup sterilizes and seals the bottles. It takes approximately 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of finished maple syrup.
There are no additives or flavorings added in our sugaring process. Sweet, natural sap from maple trees is the only ingredient. We hope you enjoy our maple syrup and sugar in your recipes!