Maple syrup has been flowing from these trees since 1964 and hasn't stopped since!
The original owners of
Maple Sweet Dairy
are Don and Ev Van Deurzen. Don was telling me that when he first started he had to tap the trees and cook the sap right in the woods. Things are a lot different now.
The daughter of Don and Ev, Theresa Baroun, she grew up in the syrup industry and is now taking over the business with her husband, Jon. Jon and Theresa now tap about 1,100 trees each year.
The couple collects the sap with pails and also with a tubing system. The tubing system is really cool because it uses gravity to run the sap from the taps, through the tubes, and into tanks. Jon was telling me that they normally collect the sap about every two days unless it's warmer out, then they collect right away.
The very interesting part about the maple syrup business is that you really never know how long you're going to be able to run the taps. Theresa was saying that sometimes the season could be a week-long and sometimes it could be 45 days…it all depends on the weather. She said that the average season is about 28 days.
Stopping out at the farm really gave me a better appreciation for the syrup industry and the people who make it. Before I left the farm, I tried some of their Bourbon, Cinnamon, and Honey Maple Syrup. I gotta say, the Bourbon was my favorite and it's definitely worth stopping by to pick some up!
So next time you're sitting at the table pouring syrup on your pancakes, make sure to realize all of the hard work that goes into creating it for you.
