Month: February 2018

Mapletree Farm, Concord, NH

Maple 03-25-17N Mapletree Farm

The first farm that I visited on the Official Maple Saturday, March 25th, 2017, Mapletree Farm, quickly became one of my favorites, .

Maple 03-25-17N Mapletree Farm-113Dean and Meg Wilbur purchased the land here in 1973 with the intention of continuing the sugaring Dean had been doing since he was seven years old. They began tapping in 1975 and converted the apple grove to a maple grove in 1981 by planting 200 extra-sweet maple “whips” purchased from the Vermont Forestry Research Lab in Vermont. This continues to be the only planted maple tree farm in New Hampshire and Concord’s oldest and only Maple 03-25-17N Mapletree Farm-151continuously operating sugarhouse.

An educator and learner, Dean is constantly working to better his craft. Today he has about 20 buckets and over 1000 taps on tubing. He has a 2.5’x 10′ super-efficient wood-fired evaporator. He named his Reverse Osmosis machine “Ralph” and jokes that Ralph is hisMaple 03-25-17N Mapletree Farm-173 hardest worker. He stated that, before RO, 1 cord Maple 03-25-17N Mapletree Farm-129of wood would make about 25 gallons of syrup. Now, with Ralph’s help, he can make 100 gallons with that same cord of wood. He stressed the importance of cleanliness in the sugar shack – he had been a food inspector and is eager to help other maple farmers to meet the qualifications for the NH Department of Agriculture’s Seal of Quality Program. They believe that “clean tubing makes for a superior flavor in syrup”.

Maple 03-25-17N Mapletree Farm-125Mapletree is beginning to switch over to 3/8″ line and hopes to have a new evaporator and more educator-friendly saphouse (including public restrooms) in the next few years.

p.s. I was very sad to learn of the death of Meg Wilbur in September, 2017. She was a beautiful lady, inside and out, who will be greatly missed.

NH Maple Month 2017 – 1st weekend, March 18 & 19

SeabrisketMaple 03-18-17W Seabrisket Sugar House-11 Sugar House is a small family sugarhouse in Brookfield, NH with a wood fired evaporator and bucket sap collection. Rick Surrette, like many other sugar makers, likes to figure out how to do things better. He and a friend created the Maple Guru Auto Draw off device. DJ Walkey is a baker making artisan breads which Maple 03-18-17W Seabrisket Sugar House-58she markets at Farmers Markets in Wolfeboro and Laconia. I am not much of a bread person but she sold me on her Harvest Bread! Together Rick and DJ do competition barbecue, hence the “Seabrisket” name.

Scott and Brandon Eldridge began sugaring in Maple 03-18-17W Eldridge Family Sugar House-162016 in a pan in their driveway. This year they are celebrating in their new sugar house in Tamworth, NH. They collect with buckets and snowmobile. At this point this is a hobby operation built to enjoy time together as a family doing work that they love

On Sunday I headed up to Bridgewater Mountain Maple in Plymouth, NH. Terry Torsey met me and showed me his sugar house. Sap had not Maple 03-19-17N Bridgewater Mtn Maple-12flowed for a few days as the temperatures had been below freezing. It was so cold that there was snow that had blown in through the open cupola on the evaporator. The Torsey Family business is Firewood – which comes in very handy with a wood fired evaporator.

On the way home I drove through Tilton and found Huckins Maple 03-19-17N Huckins Maple Farm-33Maple. Jason is boiling for the third year on his oil-fired evaporator and the fourth year in his current sugar house. He has a dedicated following. Some were concerned that the syrup would not be as good without wood but he convinced them that it could be better!