| Maple Sugaring | ||
|
If there is steam billowing and a smell of sugar in the air, go straight to the sugar house to get a first-hand look at the process and a fresh-out-of-the pan sample. We plan to post our best estimates for boiling times here so please check back often. Don't forget to visit the cows while you are here! |
||
|
||
|
If you are not from the area, you may order online from our maple web store. Please call (413) 527-6274 or email margie(at)mayvalfarm(dot)com with any questions.
|
||
| ||
|
Sugar log: 2/13/08: Setting buckets this weekend! Fingers crossed for a good year! 2/28/08: Buckets are set, but with the Manhan roaring by and all the snow, it is still a bit cold down in the orchard. Patience! 2/29/08: Brrrr... still waiting for that first run. 3/5/08: Sap is here! Collected 4 loads yesterday and today. Plan to fire up the evaporator tomorrow. 3/7/08: Ed and Snuffy made the first syrup of the year today! Hauled a couple more loads out of the orchard. More sap to gather and boil tomorrow. It's going to be wet and muddy :( 3/8/08: Big crew today! Kate, Timmy, Matt, Steve, Nelson, Rachel, and Ethan gathered 3 loads. Ed and Snuffy canned over 20 gallons. Margie made 5 lbs of cream. Big tank is full for more boiling tomorrow! 3/9/08: Canned another 30 gallons today. No more sap until later in the week. Not a bad start to the year though! 3/12/08: Another busy day going bucket to bucket down in the orchard. More boiling for sure this weekend! Word is spreading about our maple cream. We just got an order from Colorado! 3/13/08: More boiling today. All sizes of syrup in stock. Come and get it! Next boiling day should be Saturday. 3/14/08: The usual crew collected another 4 loads today. Boiling is on for tomorrow. Stop by for a free sample! 3/15/08: Ed got an early start boiling today. Yesterday's haul should keep him busy all day. Another wet Saturday. A good day to be in the sugar house by the hot fire. 3/16/08: Kate, Matt, Ben, Ethan and Henry gathered 3 loads (fyi, 1 load=300 gallons of sap). Ed plans to boil tomorrow. 3/20/08: Ed, Matt, and Nelson gathered 4 loads of sap. 3/21/08: Ed is boiling today, and Dale is coming out to show off his skills in the sugar house tomorrow! 3/23/08: Henry, Kate, Ethan, and Rachel gathered a couple loads before chores. Looks like the sap could run all week! 3/26/08: Ed is boiling, and Henry, Nelson, and Matt are out gathering yet again. 3/28/08: Ed is boiling again today. 3/29/08: For those who like syrup a little darker, we've now got a small amount of medium amber in stock. 3/30/08: Kate, Timmy, Rachel, Ethan, Henry, and Margie gathered two loads this weekend. That's going to be it for us this year. After taking down the buckets and steam-cleaning them later this week, it will be time to start thinking about getting the fences fixed, the corn in the ground, and the grass chopped. Here's to the end of a great sugaring season! We've still got plenty of syrup in stock. Check back soon for the opening of our maple web store (really - it's almost done!). |
||
|
|
Our
family has been making maple syrup and maple cream for well over 50 years. Stop
by 
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. In a good year, we produce a few hundred gallons of grade A maple syrup.