New Hampshire – HodgePodge Maple

NH Maple Weekend, March 15 & 16, 2025

I love when I can begin a NH Maple Weekend with pancakes at the Barrington Fire Department. My camera was being wonky so I don’t have any inside photos.

And then, across from the Fire Department is my friend Josh and Spring Harvest Maple. I think he needs a new sign…

Josh offers a discount to his customers who bring back his glass bottles to be refilled. This pic shows lots of signs of business, although I don’t see any names on these bottles so maybe these are all new..

One of my favorite photos – Every time most sugarmakers start a boil they fill a small jar demonstrating the quality of the syrup at that point in time. There may be a different number of jars each year as weather dictates how long the season is. This represents 132 boils.

When I left Barrington I headed over to the Monadnock Region. I am very frustrated with the NH Maple Producers organization. This weekend I had 20 farms on my list of places that I hoped to visit, all that had the 2025 Maple Weekend logo in the upper right corner of their directory listing. Of this, I found 8 farms open for visitors. I may have driven 200 miles out of my way this weekend 😦

First stop on my list, Fieldstone Farm in Rindge. This is a farm farm with cows and chickens in addition to maple. It also probably has a great reputation as the line for checkout went through the evaporator room into the kitchen.

Just before I went to Fieldstone I passed Maple Row Sugaring. I went back there as my next location even though they were not on my list 😉 This sugarhouse is rather small but their product was quite tasty. It amazes me that these places can be so close to each other but still are able to sell out of syrup with only word-of-mouth.

Not many runs yet this year but very consistent

Next up, Mighty Maple. Not large by any means but good things come in small packages.

I loved the large stained glass maple leaf in the window – and the shadow it left on the floor 🙂

Being artistic with a short depth-of-field

Fun logo!

This classic sugarhouse may make it into some of my Alternative Photography. (If you’re interested in such stuff, check out some of my earlier posts on this blog)

As I was trying to leave the U-shaped drive, I had to stop as someone was purchasing at the associated roadside stand. As he was leaving he apologized and said, “I love that he takes Venmo”.

Because I couldn’t count on all the saphouses on my list being open, if I passed a farm I knew was open, I stopped. I saw the sign along 12A as I was heading north and I stopped and was glad I did. This is a fun family sugarhouse with food and picnic tables inside and great products for sale. I really wanted to purchase maple fudge but I controlled myself (this time).

I hadn’t remembered that I had already been to Hillside Sugar Bush Farm. I’m glad I stopped. Last time every one was stressing a little bit because it was not only Maple weekend but also town meeting day. It was town meeting day again but I guess this year it was earlier and it was fun to come and find the whole family there.

I love their shirts and everyone had one.

I believe this is Jim Lukash. He and I had a fun discussion about how maple challenges one to invent and make do.

I passed by a sign for Beaver Pond Sugarhouse. I stopped but this wasn’t the actual sugarhouse which is located “up on the mountain”. It was a fun farm stand with lots of maple products for sale. I purchased another Maple Soda bottle and contents for my collection.

And last, but not least, time was running short so I didn’t get to all of the places on my map. I cut over to South Sutton and my friends at Meetinghouse Hill Farm sugarhouse. I couldn’t resist this little one in his Carhartts.

This sugarhouse house is in my “create art from this” list.

Cody Anderson is a mild mannered Kearsarge Regional High School Science teacher by day and…

And Dad is Sr Director of Education for the Forest Society and co-host of “Something Wild” on NHPR.
I’m not usually a fan of tattoos but Dave has the best… if someone forced me, I’d choose tree leaves as well.

Final shot as I was leaving.

And I was blessed by a sweet sunset on the way home.

Two Taps Sap House was the 5th on my list for Sunday and the first one welcoming visitors.

Not quite the final product but the first step that is actually syrup.

When Grandpa used to sugar, he used wooden pipes for collection. This is one of them.

I couldn’t get a good angle to take a good picture of the end of the pipe so I trusted my camera to do it for me and didn’t realize it failed me. This is the end that was pared down to fit into the next pipe.

And I was blessed with a parting gift.

I believe this was one of the places on my list that was not welcoming guests.

But then I found Morrill’s Sugar Shack in Franklin and it made up for some of the earlier deficits.

I’m bummed I didn’t get names. Father and son are working this together – I love that. The pusher that the son is using here is from an old coal stove. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone use this tool before. Not only is it great to move around wood and ashes in the fire box but he can easily grab and open both doors at the same time.

This is dad inside the wood shed. He said I had to go outside and see it from there…

And it was well worth the short walk. It is only the firewood that is holding the window and the door. How fun!

And the heart is intentional 💕

After this I headed over to Tilton to Just Maple. The first time I came over here I was mostly curious because I had seen their product for sale at other places. The sugarhouse is not the most picturesque but they do things well here.

If I followed directions, I would have been led through the tasting room into the gift shop. I would have been told that the sugarbush tours start by the big old maple tree. But I didn’t really want a sugarbush tour today and I walked through the gift shop to the tasting room backwards. I did buy a long-sleeve t-shirt…

Every sugarhouse dog should have a heart on his chest 💕

And another of those sugarhouses that wasn’t open for visitors…

And it was raining at this point.

But by the time I reached Leighton Farms East & West in Sanbornton it had stopped. The sugarhouse was in one location but the East & West referred to the original farm on one side of the road and the newer purchase on the other. This sugarhouse was much taller than most others I have visited. I apologize, I really need to start taking notes again. I don’t remember all the cool stuff I heard about. Leighton Farms is apparently well-known for it’s Bourbon infused syrup.

And I was again given a parting gift…

And last, but not least, in NH this day I visited Smith Farm in Gilford. I had forgotten that I was here before, and it wasn’t until I walked around the building that I recognized the place. The last time I was here I think there was a zillion other people – this day I had the place to myself. It looks like this house is about 78 years old and is looking pretty good for its age.

In their Bootsteps

My explorations in Maple began as a new set of places to explore. My first sugarhouse was Harris Farm in Dayton, Maine in 2008. I have discovered Farms that were planted, like traditional farms, or sugar groves that were discovered in woods that already existed (Harris Farm is a combination of both). I realized that Maple Producers, like dairy or vegetable farmers, work hard to create their product. And, like any other workers, maple farmers run the gamut of involvement and experience, from those who collect with buckets on their trees and boil in a pot on the wood stove, to groves with thousands of taps over acres of land with sugarhouses that look like factories. People may just cook the sap until it looks or tastes right, or use the latest and greatest of gadgets to make sure it’s perfect.

If a newbie wants to figure out what they need to do to produce syrup, they can take workshops, attend lectures, speak with neighbors, or get involved with a local association with like-minded people. In the fall of 2018, my like-minded people, the New Hampshire Maple Producers Association, lost three past presidents and the wealth of knowledge they brought to the art.

I wish I had been able to visit Longview Forest Products When Bill Eva had been there. He sounds like an amazing gentleman, a pilot in the Air Force returning after a 21-year career to the family farm in Hancock. He then studied Forestry at the UNH Thompson School and developed his company with woodcutting, logging, Christmas trees and maple syrup. His Maple passion led him to such pursuits as teaching class field trips and serving as President of the NHPMA.

When I visited Fadden’s Store in April of 2017, I thought I had missed Jim so I enjoyed myself in his maple museum. As I spent time checking out the museum, he returned. We walked out to the sugarhouse through the back hall past the photos of ancestors, beginning a series of stories that lasted a couple of hours. He told me about sugaring with his dad, and of Louie, dad’s helper. Louie didn’t know how to read or write but he taught young Jim how to drink and smoke. Jim was glad he learned from Louie because he never wanted to touch either again.

Jim’s story is one of loyalty, service, and tradition. I love the memorial video that was posted where he speaks of people buying syrup in his store (all his syrup is retailed) and that it’s kind of like going to a winery, where people can get educated with the purchase of their quality product. “I am doing it for my ancestors, and for my children and grandchildren.”

I met Roy Hutchinson at the end of the 2018 Maple season. Although I mostly spoke with his son Brian and Brian’s wife Adrienne, it was obvious that Roy was the heart of the operation. He was elected to the Maple Hall of Fame in 2003 and I believe 2018 was his 60^th season of maple. Brian is proud to continue the production of traditional syrup; he learned from the master.

Maple is not left wanting – there are many experienced farmers willing to bring newbies alongside, and many younger men and women learning and sharing. Soon the sap will run, spring will come again, and others will try to fill the boots of these great men. But they will be missed!

Sweet Celebrations!

Kendra asked me how she could celebrate Maple Weekend in the Rochester area by eating pancakes. This is what I came up with:

Barrington, NH Fire & Rescue, in conjunction with Spring Harvest Maple Farm across the street on Route 9 will be having a pancake breakfast both Saturday and Sunday, March 24 & 25 from 8 am until 11:30.

One of my favorite Maple Weekend Activities for families with Young Kids is the Remick Museum Maple Sugaring Day Open House on Saturday, March 24 from 11 am until 3 pm (no charge for this part). This year they are also recommend people “Eat Local for Breakfast” at the Preserve at Chocorua, 88 Philbrook Neighborhood Rd., Tamworth from 9:30-12:30. They are serving pancakes or Belgian waffles at $10 for adults, $5 children 12 and under, and free for age 4 and under. The proceeds from this will benefit the Museum to help children attend programs.

Harris Farm (or here) in Dayton, Maine is having a pancake breakfast on Saturday and Sunday, $8 for adults, $4 kids 11and under (cash only). 8 am until 2 pm.

Triple C Farm & Boilers in Lyman, Maine is having an all you can eat pancake breakfast with our own farm raised sausage. Saturday and Sunday from 7 am until 12 pm. $8 for adults, $4 for kids.

Morin’s Sugar House in Limerick, Maine will have their pancakes Sunday only from 8 am until 4 pm. (I will bring Dad & Mom here after church on Sunday). (Cost not listed)

Clark Cole Family Farm is having their open house pancake breakfast Saturday only from 8 am until 12 pm in Dayton, Maine. $5 per person.

There is an East Canterbury Maple Festival with a pancake Breakfast on Saturday for $5 per person. The maple stuff looks like it could be great but I am attending the Kearsarge Maple Festival this year. Their pancake breakfast, sponsored by the Warner Historical Society will be at the United Church of Warner from 7:30 until 11:00 am. It is $8 per person with under 5 free.

If you need more ideas for this sweet weekend, check out my post, “So much Maple, so little time!”

1st Weekend – NH Maple Month 2018

It’s here! New Hampshire Maple Month! One problem with having visited so many sugarhouses is that I need to travel further to find one I haven’t met yet.

This year I started by heading west to Hunts’ Sugar House in Hillsboro, NH. Although Charles Senior and Junior started here in 1994, the family has a long tradition of Maple through the matriarchal line of Teresa (Crane) who’s family begin in 1913 and long collected buckets with oxen. They have 30 acres on site but also collect from the 90-acre Crane farm for a total of 2500 taps, mostly on tubing though they have a couple of buckets for show and for the kids. Charlie Sr. agreed with the consensus that 2018 started fast and furious though they have appreciated a slow down for the last couple of days which allowed them to clean the system.

The sugarhouse is long “shot-gun” style with the kitchen/shop in one end and wood storage and tanks in the other with the evaporator between. They have a storage tank underground to take advantage of the coolness and one sap line runs under the driveway and into the tank. The Reverse Osmosis (RO) machine is in the basement of the house and the line from here to the evaporator runs overhead. There is a sliding barn door between the wood shed with tank overhead and the evaporator and Charlie was very proud of his trolley system to bring the wood in. Because the trolley runs in through the sliding door, he has designed a “draw-bridge” which pulls the rail out of the way to close the door. He is mechanically minded and creates his own wooden boxes for storage and delivery.

Hunts’ believes good forest management also leads to more and better syrup. Many of the trees on site have been thinned or “released”. This procedure removes surrounding trees that aren’t maples or aren’t productive, allowing more sun to reach the remaining trees. Charlie believe that these trees may now produce sap with a higher sugar content, possibly 1/2 to 1% higher than previously.

I next drove into Washington, NH to the Atkins Family Sugarhouse. (Don’t trust Garmin – they would have me lost if I wasn’t paying attention). Shawn Atkins wasn’t boiling on this cold day but was also appreciating the slowdown from a fast start to the season. He also appreciates his RO machine for his 1500 taps, especially since this season started with only 1 to 1 1/2% sugar. I’m sure Shawn will work hard this year to try to hold on to the Carlisle trophy, the award given to him in 2018 by the New Hampshire Maple Producer’s Association to the best maple syrup in the Granite State. He and his wife are mighty (and rightly) proud, creating blue ribbon labels for their syrup and other products. I was particularly impressed by the (blue ribbon bedecked) maple popcorn.

Shawn says that he was bit by the Maple bug hauling buckets around the Crane farm (with the oxen) when he was a kid. He and his wife started their sugarhouse here in 2003. This building is packed to the gills with maple memorabilia such as a hay tram from Cranes that he uses to haul wood in to the evaporator, plenty of buckets, and an ox yoke. I enjoyed the large leaf-shaped slab of tap hole maple – especially good to show how a healthy tree deals with holes.

I did not spend a lot of time at Bascom Maple Farm but did get a tour of the syrup production area from Liz. She showed me the new steam evaporator (over 300 gallons of syrup per hour) though, like many others, it was quiet today. She showed me the room full of quiet RO equipment and the day-by-day charts of production that showed 7,000 gallons more at this point this year than last. My computer geek loved looking at the wireless monitoring system showing the vacuum status at the end of each branch of each line on the farm. Many were red (still frozen), with a few white (need to get someone to check them out), but plenty of green producing sap that will boil tomorrow.

It was interesting to see the syrup in cardboard boxes. Bascom’s sells bulk syrup in barrels and casks but these need to be recycled so they also sell it in bag lined boxes, both 5 gallon and ones the equivalent of 4 barrels – 160 gallons? These may be used to make other products, to be bottled, or maybe in restaurants.

I was excited to drive up to Clarks’ Sugar House and see the steam pouring from the cupola. I visited this farm in 2015 but that was a cold year as well and the evaporator was still. Alvin was greeting guests while his son and another gentleman ran the evaporator. This house is also filled with wonderful memorabilia though this day it was masked by the steam from the evaporator. Alvin showed me the wonderful science geek chart that shows dates and amounts of production since 1959. I believe he said he began the year his son was born. Clarks’ has been doing this a lot longer than Shawn Atkins and has 6 Carlisles to their credit.

Clarks’ other claim-to-fame is Valley View Bison Farm. On the weekends of the 17th and 24th they will have bison burgers and bison chili available at the Sugarhouse. This day they just had their large selection of goods such as syrup, candy, and coated nuts.

In the corner of the “sales” counter was my favorite Maple Collecting Pen and Ink Drawing by Gene Matras. Maybe there is another artist that does Maple but I haven’t met them. I’ve been to the Matras Maple farm in Pittsfield and bought a Beaver print for myself. I feel like I’ve got ties to this artist and have found his work at many farms. It just makes me smile.

Mark Woodard of Woodard’s Sugar House began his Maple Journey in his grandfather’s sugar house in Vermont. He dreamed of having his own and built it with his dad in 2005, though he did not start boiling until 2012, so this is Mark and Kati’s 6 sweet season. The Woodard maple grove is on a slope that appears to deliver much of the maple from their 900 taps directly into the sap shed; from there is is only a few large steps through the RO into the evaporator.

Woodards has a wonderful selection of maple treats that they apparently bring to many area Farmers Markets. I enjoyed Maple Pecans and will enjoy wearing my new “Got Maple?” T-shirt with the beautiful 3-leaf Woodard Logo on the back. My last farm, Crescendo, raved about Kati’s maple candy. She confessed to me that she loves her cream machine but still prefers to do the candy by hand. I guess she’s chosen right for her.

Crescendo Acres is the home of Maple, Alpacas, Mini Horses, a few cats, and Russ and Diana Fiorey. Russ has 700 taps, mostly on tubing with some buckets for show. Russ is an educator, eager to host the Girl Scouts or do a presentation at the local Agway. He has kept a record of flows over the years on the sugar shack wall. He says the flow is good this year but the sugar percentage has been low. He has made a number of upgrades recently including an automatic draw-off, a refractometer to see when the sap is syrup, an electronic grader, and a new stainless-steel feeder tank.

Russ then took me out back to show me the boys, the herd of alpacas. He and Diana used to have mini horses but have switched over to alpacas. They also have a Christmas tree farm and ask for returns to feed the animals. They have a beautiful gift shop with maple and alpaca products. Diana is a very skilled craftswoman though some of the products are consigned.

Many of the maple farms I have visited have been nestled in the hills and along streams, dotted with hemlocks and rock ledges. It doesn’t take much to remind me why I love northern New England, and New Hampshire in particular. Next week – more adventures.

Early-Maple-Season Adventures 2018

(Header photo from Rochester Library Photo Contest 2015)

In November of 2017, the friends of the Rochester Library contacted me about doing a presentation for the Library on Maple Sugaring. Shortly afterward, Nick Kosko, VP of the New Hampshire Maple Producers contacted them offering to do a presentation. The friends asked us to do it together. Nick and his wife Cindy are the proprietors of Meadow View Sugarhouse in Union, a relatively local farm that I have visited several times. Nick sent me an outline of how he thought the presentation should go and I created the PowerPoint slideshow. We worked the presentation together and I had a fun time. This was the beginning of my Maple Season and it’s been rolling along since.

The Southern Maine Maple Sugarmakers Association is an organization founded to address the needs and interests of maple farmers. They are a wonderful resource for beginners and experienced sugarers alike and reach out with education such as their Sap House at the Cumberland Fair. They regularly hold a pre-season workshop for maple newbies. I’ve attended this workshop for two years now – it’s a fun place to hang out and refresh myself on Maple Basics. This year it was held at The Little Meetinghouse in Windham, ME. One of the members told me that one goal of this meeting is to lessen the amount of poor quality syrup reaching the public. They stress the importance of cleanliness and using food grade containers in the whole sugarmaking process. I’d love to join this group but they limit their membership to Maine residents.

Weather has not been my friend when planning Maple Excursions this year but it did cooperate on Sunday, February 18 when I headed out to Moose Mountain to view the Meadow View Sugarbush. On Saturday the 17th the ground was clear but Saturday night brought about 18″ of fresh powder to the mountain. Cindy and Nick were already up on the mountain but I could head in the right direction by following their snowshoe tracks. The Spring Harvest Sugarbush in Barrington where I have documented Josh Bouchard tapping is an old New England farm and fairly level. The Meadow View sugarbush covered the side of the mountain and had slopes of 40 – 60%. I got my work out in the woods in snowshoes but the views were spectacular. This mountainside had been sugared many years before by previous owners who appeared to have just left it with taps still in the trees. The Koskos are looking to be much better stewards.

The first Maple Open House of the year that I saw posted (on Facebook) was Maple Moon Farm in Lebanon, Maine. Frank had been at the SMMSA workshop in January. Maple Moon is also an old farm and most of their Sugarbush is on practically level ground. Some of these trees are on tubing and some are on buckets. I’ve never had the pleasure of watching farmers collect – I enjoyed getting photos of women working in the woods. Frank and Jen produce many of the usual maple products as well as other products and produce from their farm. They are regulars at several local farmers’ markets and I am particularly fond of Frank’s wood turnings. I love Maple but I also love photography and Maple Moon provides a particularly picturesque setting.

On March 4th I went on what was originally billed as a Snowshoe and Sugaring hike of the Leary Farm & Forest but there was not much, if any snow on that day. We were given a short tour of the sugarhouse at Forty to One Farm in Farmington, NH by the owners, Bob & Debbie Leary, and received an explanation of tapping by forester Wendy Scribner. Moose Mountain Regional Greenways is almost finished with the process of putting 60 plus acres of this field and woodland into conservation, a memorial to the three generations of Learys who have farmed, sugared and forested this land on the Farmington Ridge.

March 11 will begin New Hampshire Maple Month and a whole new set of adventures!

So much Maple, so little time!

It’s here! Time for Maple Adventures!

Want to plan your own?

New Hampshire Maple Producers Association celebrates Maple Month for four weekends beginning March 10, 2018. You can find their list and maps here. Pay attention to the dates each farm is open. Some are only open the official NH Maple Weekend of March 24 & 25, some are open all or some combination of the four weeks.

Massachusetts Maple Producers Association celebrates their Maple Weekend on March 17 & 18. Find their directory of participating sugar houses here.

Maine Maple Producers Association and Vermont Maple Sugar Makers Association will both celebrate on March 24 & 25 with New Hampshire’s focus weekend. Maine’s information is here, while Vermont’s is here (click on the links).

A couple of organizations have maple teaching programs:

Prescott Farm Environmental Education Center in Laconia, NH is celebrating Maple Sugar Madness every Saturday in March.

Remick Country Doctor Museum and Farm in Tamworth Village, NH will celebrate Maple Sugaring Day Open House on Saturday, March 21 from 11 am – 3 pm. I have enjoyed this even on a couple of occasions.

The 100 Acre Wood Sugar Shack, part of the Believe in Books Literacy Foundation in Intervale, NH, has it’s Maple Storybook Trail open anytime (self-guided), but says that an inside peek at the Sugar Shack can only be done when they are open.

Old Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge, MA is celebrating Maple Days each weekend in March.

The NH Maple Experience is located at The Rocks in Bethlehem, NH, the North Country Conservation & Education Center for the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests. The dates for this event in 2018 are March 17, 24, 25, 31, April 1 and 7.

Then there are a couple of Maple Festivals that I am aware of in 2018:

East Canterbury Maple Festival, Canterbury, NH, March 24 & 25

Kearsarge Maple Festival, Warner & Webster, NH, March 24 & 25

A personal favorite is the Lunenburg (VT) Maple Festival on Saturday, March 24 from 8 am – 4 pm

Skowhegan, ME will have their Maple Festival as part of Maine Maple Weekend on March 23 – 25, 2018

The Annual Official Vermont Maple Festival is April 27 – April 29 is primarily in St. Albans, VT

The St. Johnsbury World Maple Festival is April 28.

None of my plans are set in stone – so much Maple, so little time!

Mapletree Farm, Concord, NH

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

Dean 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 continuously 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 his hardest worker. He stated that, before RO, 1 cord of 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”.

Mapletree 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

Seabrisket 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 she 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 2016 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 flowed 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. 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!

Planning your Sweet Maple Road Trip!

Maple Season is short and the time of open sugarhouses is even shorter, so I’ve come up with a means of hitting as many as I can as quickly as I can. Having a GPS helps but is not necessary if your goal farms are on main roads.

Farmers who belong to the state associations (see link here) let the association know when they will be open and often provide a “news release” listing specialty items or unusual activities they may have available. I decide on an area I want to conquer on a particular day and create an excel spreadsheet transferring the data from the website. I then use MapQuest’s Route Planner option to create a tour that includes all the sites. This site includes an option to upload a spreadsheet.

The Map this creates for me may or may not be reasonable. It gives a time estimate, but of course that does not include any time for the stop itself. And the Map is only labeled with the addresses, not the names of the farms, so I have to keep my Excel Spreadsheet handy. I compare it to thethe map and the list and may pull stops off of my map if there are too many or they are too far away. Eventually I’ve worked it down to a “do-able” list and I’ve taken farms off of the spreadsheet to match. I put the “pin numbers” from Mapquest on the spreadsheet and reorder the list keeping in mind if a farm has listed that it will open late or close early.

I save both the original long list and the final draft as pdfs and open them on my tablet. The day of my adventure I use the short list to feed my GPS and add in stops from the long list if I find I have recommendations from farmers or extra time. I will often direct my tours so I end up far from home so that this drive can take place after a day full of adventures when the farms are closed.

(Cover photo: Ridgeland Farm, Loudon, NH)

Meetinghouse Hill Tree Farm

In 2010, when I lost my job for the second time in a year, I needed some way to “contribute to society” and do something I love. As I searched for work, I volunteered one day a week each for the Scarborough Marsh and for Laudholm Farm. They were both a bit of a drive from my parents’ house in Waterboro so I gave them each 8 hours to make the mileage more worth it.

In October 2010, I moved to Rochester and missed the Environmental Community I had in Maine. When I saw a posting that the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests (the Forest Society) was looking for Land Stewards, I jumped at the chance. The fact that it came with a weekend of training (Environmental Camp!) was a bonus. I volunteered for a short time at the Cooper Cedar Woods in New Durham before finding my place at the Salmon Falls Forest in Milton, NH.

I have continued to volunteer with the Forest Society, watching my property, learning trail maintenance, chain saw use and rock work, and most recently photographing events. Recently I was asked to represent the Society at “Discover Wild NH Day” at NH Fish and Game last Saturday. I also took a day off work and served at the Lost River spring cleanup on Tuesday.

At Lost River, Jenn, the Land Steward Program Coordinator for the Forest Society had Buffs, a cool, fun multipurpose headband that I guess was made popular on Survivor. These were imprinted with topo maps, the Forest Society Logo, and the logo for a new app they are working on. I really wanted one (or two) but she didn’t have any extras. I remembered I had won a Duck Nesting Box in a raffle with the Wildlife Heritage Foundation at the Saturday Festival and had to go to Concord to pick it up. I could stop by the SPNHF Center and get my buffs as well.

I stopped by Fish and Game first as I did not expect that stop to take long and didn’t want to be pressed for time if I wanted to explore the Forestry Center. When I got to SPNHF Jenn had not been back to the office since Tuesday so nothing was at the desk for me. The receptionist did not know what I was looking for so I ran down my list of people I knew there that might know. One after the other was not in the office but I finally mentioned Dave Anderson.

I am not sure when I first met Dave but I’ve always been impressed with his down to earth teaching style. He writes articles for the New Hampshire Sunday News, the Forest Society’s Forest Notes magazine and the “Something Wild” podcast that plays on New Hampshire Public Radio. Recently I saw an article talking about the Maple Sugar House that he built. I got him talking maple and happily listened to him roll for at least a 1/2 hour.

He told me with pride about his son Cody working with him, cutting and milling the lumber for the post and beam structure and how the family came together to raise the frame while he was recovering from surgery. He was also blessed to have a grandson born the day after – The sugarhouse and grandson born at the same time. He spoke of the difficulty getting the proper permissions from the town. All of his abutters and town old timers approved the project, but it was too close to the property line. He said the red tape ended with the following: Building inspector: “You received a building permit five years ago to build a shed in this area, did you not.” “Technically, this is not a new build; it is a renovation of an existing structure.” It’s much easier to get a rebuilding permit than a new structure one.

Dave and Cody began sugaring in buckets that they received as a gift. This year they had a combination of buckets and tubing. The sugaring equipment itself was purchased from the estate of a Maple Farmer in Vermont. The widow came this spring to celebrate the life of her husband in the new sugarhouse full of working equipment and all the scents that brought back wonderful memories.

Dave also told me about when Cody attended Colby College in Maine. Cody and some of his friends discovered there was a maple grove in the college woods and took it upon themselves to make syrup. They harvested the sap and boiled it down but were exposed when he was finishing the syrup in the dorm kitchen and fell asleep. The smoke produced when it over-cooked set off the alarms and the Fire Department responded. Cody was called before the Dean but ended up giving the Dean a tour of the Maple stand.

Dave opened up my HodgepodgeMaple.com blog while I was there. Today the first post is a list of the 70 sugarhouses I have visited to date. We talked about some of the guys he knew on the list and he made recommendations for me to visit next year. I recommended he speak with Dean Wilbur of MapleTree Farm in Concord. Dean is a wonderful long-time maple farmer and educator and I think they will hit it off. I forgot to mention to Dave that Dean has planted many of his maples with stock from the Proctor Maple Research Farm.

Dave has had “Meetinghouse Hill Tree Farm” at the site in South Sutton for many years now. Once upon a time I asked him where was his favorite special place to explore was and he said, “my tree farm at home.” I can understand.

We talked about legacies. Dave is very proud of his son Cody, and spoke of Cody’s discovery that he wanted to raise his family in New England close to the land. I reminded and thanked Dave that, even if he did not have a son, he has invested in the youth of the area that he will still leave a legacy of Stewardship.

(Photos of Meetinghouse Hill Sugarhouse and Cody Anderson by Dave Anderson)

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