Series of tubes in maple trees brings sap to be processed
Friday the 13th was a lucky day for our garden club members who traveled to Sugarbush Farm, a 550-acre hillside farm located in Woodstock, Vermont, and operated by the Luce family, the fourth generation to work this land. Sugarbush Farm is truly a maple syrup and cheese lover’s paradise!
We received a warm welcome from Liz, who introduced us to her sister Sierra, our tour guide. Sierra explained how the farm’s maple trees are tapped each spring when the weather alternates between freezing nights and warmer days. During this time, sap flows through small taps placed in the trees and is collected through tubing that carries it to the sugarhouse.
Sierra explained how the clear maple sap—made up mostly of water with a small percentage of natural sugar—is transformed into maple syrup. The sap is boiled in large evaporators inside the sugarhouse, where steam removes the water and concentrates the sugars. It takes roughly 40 gallons of sap to produce just one gallon of pure maple syrup. Sierra explained that the sugarhouse uses a reverse osmosis system, which removes much of the water from the sap before boiling. This allows the syrup to be made more efficiently while reducing the amount of time, firewood, and energy needed. Although boiling was not taking place the day of our visit, we enjoyed a private tour of the sugarhouse and learned how the finished syrup is filtered, graded, and bottled.
After visiting the sugarhouse, we toured the workroom of this American Cheese Society Blue Ribbon winner for Best Smoked Cheese. There we saw how the cheese is cut, hand-waxed, and wrapped. We enjoyed free samples of the four types of cheeses and a few tiny teaspoons maple syrup. Yummy!
There's an opportunity two walk on some of the maple tree-wooded nature trails and even visit a chapel which has a cool back story. About 30 years ago, Betsy Luce had a dream about there being a chapel on the farm. Her son Jeff made her dream come true when he built the cute white chapel in 1997 after the sugaring season. He finished it three days before his marriage to Kerry McNally. Jeff and Kerry's daughters Liz and Sierra are keeping the family business thriving as the fourth generation on the farm.
Our group had many questions, and Sierra answered them all with knowledge and care. Her pride in what her family has accomplished on this beautiful piece of land was evident throughout our visit. Thank you, Liz, Sierra, and everyone at Sugarbush Farm for welcoming us with open arms!
We received a warm welcome from Liz, who introduced us to her sister Sierra, our tour guide. Sierra explained how the farm’s maple trees are tapped each spring when the weather alternates between freezing nights and warmer days. During this time, sap flows through small taps placed in the trees and is collected through tubing that carries it to the sugarhouse.
Sierra explained how the clear maple sap—made up mostly of water with a small percentage of natural sugar—is transformed into maple syrup. The sap is boiled in large evaporators inside the sugarhouse, where steam removes the water and concentrates the sugars. It takes roughly 40 gallons of sap to produce just one gallon of pure maple syrup. Sierra explained that the sugarhouse uses a reverse osmosis system, which removes much of the water from the sap before boiling. This allows the syrup to be made more efficiently while reducing the amount of time, firewood, and energy needed. Although boiling was not taking place the day of our visit, we enjoyed a private tour of the sugarhouse and learned how the finished syrup is filtered, graded, and bottled.
After visiting the sugarhouse, we toured the workroom of this American Cheese Society Blue Ribbon winner for Best Smoked Cheese. There we saw how the cheese is cut, hand-waxed, and wrapped. We enjoyed free samples of the four types of cheeses and a few tiny teaspoons maple syrup. Yummy!
There's an opportunity two walk on some of the maple tree-wooded nature trails and even visit a chapel which has a cool back story. About 30 years ago, Betsy Luce had a dream about there being a chapel on the farm. Her son Jeff made her dream come true when he built the cute white chapel in 1997 after the sugaring season. He finished it three days before his marriage to Kerry McNally. Jeff and Kerry's daughters Liz and Sierra are keeping the family business thriving as the fourth generation on the farm.
Our group had many questions, and Sierra answered them all with knowledge and care. Her pride in what her family has accomplished on this beautiful piece of land was evident throughout our visit. Thank you, Liz, Sierra, and everyone at Sugarbush Farm for welcoming us with open arms!
Sierra explaining the maple sugaring steps on the farm
A sap collection tank on the left and the entrance to the Maple Walk and Farm Chapel
Demonstration outside the sugar house
Inside the sugar house
Boiling down the sap takes a lot of firewood
Explaining the cheese end of the business
Grantham Garden Club members share some delicious 4-year aged cheddar cheese that Liz gifted them.