Maple Syrup & Cream
Maple syrup and maple cream (also known as “maple butter” or “maple spread”) made the old-fashioned way for the very best maple flavor. “Sugaring” has been a springtime ritual at Mayval Farm for well over 50 years. Order online, or stop by 149 Easthampton Rd. anytime to pick some up–we're right off Rt. 66, just minutes outside of Northampton, Massachusetts. (NOTE: from Rt. 66, you will turn onto N. Loudville Rd., which becomes Easthampton Rd. when you cross the Westhampton town line.)
Feel free to call or email ahead, and we will have your order boxed and ready to take away. In addition to shipping, our online store also has a self-service farm pick-up option. Shop and pay online, pick up at your convenience!
If there is steam billowing and a smell of sugar in the air, go straight to the sugar house to get a firsthand look at the process. and a fresh-out-of-the pan sample. We will post boiling times here and @MayvalFarm so please check back often. If the weather cooperates, Saturdays and Sundays in March are safe bets. Don't forget to visit the cows while you are here! We also have openings for weekend sap gatherers if you'd like to tour the orchard. No charge!
Please call (413) 527-6274 or email margie(at)mayvalfarm(dot)com with any questions.
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2011 Maple Syrup Inventory
- Maple Gift Box: Light Amber maple cream, maple sugar, Dark Amber or Grade B syrup ($30)
- Pints: Dark Amber, Grade B
- Quarts: Dark Amber, Grade B
- Half-Gallons: Dark Amber, Grade B
- Gallons: Dark Amber, Grade B
- Glass Leaves: small (50 mL) and large (250 mL)
- Maple Cream: Generally in stock in Dark Amber. Last of the Light Amber maple cream has gone into the gift boxes. Please call or email to ensure availability–will make to order.
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 Mayval Farm owes its name to the numerous sugar maples growing in the valley. Our main sugar bush lies along the banks of Turkey Brook and the Manhan River in Westhampton. These days, we set about 1000 taps every February. In the past, we have set as many as 3000!
 Traditionalists, we hang buckets on each tree, carry sap by the pail, and evaporate with a wood fire. Although we have a modern stainless steel evaporator, terms such as vacuum pump, reverse osmosis, and automatic draw-off are not in our vocabulary! Nevertheless, in a good year, we produce a few hundred gallons of pure maple syrup in a variety of grades (colors).
Our customers have always claimed that our maple syrup is second to none–likely due to our exclusive use of traditional methods. The sap stays cold and fresh in the metal buckets (we do not use any plastic tubing to collect the sap) and we constantly, gallon-by-gallon, monitor the syrup's density with a hydrometer. Furthermore, we produce our syrup by boiling alone; we do not use filtration to increase the sugar content before boiling. The distinct flavor of maple syrup is due to the heating process, and our syrup spends more time over the fire.
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2011 maple sugaring log (=slog!)
- April 10: Buckets washed and drying in the wood shed. Time to get ready for spring work.
- April 3: Last boil of the year today. Started taking the buckets down. Not a bad year in the end. Most grades in most sizes in stock.
- Mar 27: More gathering and boiling this weekend. Syrup is a little lighter than the Grade B we made during the week. Beefers got out again.
- Mar 20: Boiled both days this weekend. Medium Amber and Dark Amber syrup now available.
- Mar 18: Gathered yesterday and today. Boiling is on for this weekend.
- Mar 13: Cleaned up the orchard this morning, and Ed boiled this afternoon. Should have a good run tomorrow and Tuesday and maybe again later in the week. Fingers crossed.
- Mar 12: Gathering, boiling, and lots of visitors today. Thanks for coming out everyone! More gathering tomorrow morning and more boiling tomorrow afternoon is planned. Call, email, or follow @MayvalFarm for exact boiling times please. Gotta milk those cows too ya know.
- Mar 7: More gathering today. Weather looks good the next couple of days.
- Mar 6: Good run late yesterday, through the night. Boiling is imminent. Follow @MayvalFarm for the very latest! We may move the slog there.
- Feb 20: Set about 500 buckets before it was time to do chores again. Got good help from 2 friends. Thanks K and T!
- Feb 19: Too windy to set buckets today. We didn't have enough hard hats to go around. Set the evaporator back in the arch and sawed some slabs instead.
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