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Molly Brook Farm in East Cabot, Vermont came into our family
around 1835 when our ancestors helped to colonize the area. Early
farmers had to clear the ground for field crops. Maple sugaring
was common from the early 1600s in New England, so part of the
farm forest was kept for making maple sugar. Everyone made their
own as well as some extra to sell or trade for tools, supplies
or other types of food. Families were usually large with the
children of various ages helping with the many things around
the farm. Winters were long and the snow was deep. The springtime
sugaring season beginning in early March and ending in mid April
was looked forward to by all ages with a festive and eager spirit.
It was a chance to beat the "cabin fever" with long
days in the fresh air, lots of fun and of course eating the sweet
results. Family and friends would arrive from all over to help
with the tapping, gathering and boiling. Farm wives often fed
many extras on top of their own family as the hungry workers
lined up at the table. They really earned their way trudging
through the deep snow on snow shoes, hauling sap from the trees
to the gathering sleds that were pulled by horses and oxen. Sweet
steam would rise from the sugarhouse and drift through the sugarbush
as they worked.
Sap is mostly water - usually around 98%. It takes
40-50 gallons of the sweet sap to boil down into one gallon of
pure maple syrup. A sugarhouse was a rustic building that kept
the snow and rain off you while the long hours of boiling took
place. No electricity or running water in these buildings - they
were located way out in the woods where the trees were. Steam
rising from the boiling pans would surround you in a thick cloud.
It is not uncommon to not be able to see a hand in front of your
face at times. Temperatures vary from 30 - 40 degrees during
the day during the day to way below freezing at night in the
early season. Later in the season, day-time temperatures can
reach into the 50s and 60s with the nights not freezing at all.
When the temperature does not go down to the freezing mark for
several days, the trees will begin to "bud out", signaling
the end of the sugaring season. Sometimes the frogs have emerged
from their winter hibernation and can be heard peeping in the
evening hours in what is known by sugarmakers as a "frog
run". Time then to collect the buckets, then to wash, stack
and store them for next year.
Today, our modern sugarhouse is quite a change from the old
days. Located right on US Route 2, you can drive right to the
door without having to hike back into the woods over a muddy
road and deep snow. Sap is collected through miles and miles
of plastic tubing instead of buckets. It is a faster, cleaner
and much more efficient method of collection. Tubing is not a
new idea. Metal tubing was attempted in the 1920s, but had many
problems. Now with the technology of plastics it is a widely
popular tool of today's sugarmaker. Old evaporators have been
replaced by shiny stainless steel equipment that is much more
efficient and easier to clean. Wood is still used as a fuel by
some sugarmakers, but we have converted to oil. To use wood,
we would have to cut, split and stack (then move several times)
over 70 cord of firewood a year in advance. We did this for over
20 years - but we're not getting any younger! Using oil is very
cost effective, faster (it shaves 3 hours of prep and shutdown
time off the schedule) and much, much easier on your back!
Sap that comes into the sugarhouse is filtered
and measured for volume and sugar content. It then enters the
evaporator where it is rapidly boiled into maple syrup. Carefully
monitored during the boiling process, it is cooked to a temperature
of 219 degrees where it becomes syrup. It is then filtered to
remove any impurities that build up during the boiling process.
Immediately it is placed into stainless steel drums for storage
or into the individual containers you find in our gift shop.
Packed at over 200 degrees, the syrup will shrink as it cools,
thus sealing the containers. The different grades or flavors
of syrup are produced during the different parts of the season.
Fancy grade is early in the season and very delicate. Medium
amber is the mid season syrup and a good all purpose syrup, with
dark amber and grade B coming at the end - these are best for
cooking. The syrup is richer in flavor as it gets darker in color.
This is a natural process that the trees control as the season
progresses. All of our boiling equipment and storage tanks are
kept clean and shiny. Cleanliness and fast processing help us
to produce some of the finest Vermont Maple syrup for you to
enjoy.
For 24 years we have been using the same trees our ancestors
once did. Maple trees can live for well over 200 years! Many
of our trees are 100 - 200 years old. They are 80 - 90 feet tall.
In the summer they produce the rich green vegetation that gave
Vermont its name, the "Green Mountain State". In the
fall, the foliage turns spectacular colors of red, orange and
gold that is famous all over the world. During the hot summers,
the shade of the maple tree is wonderfully cool. In the winter,
maple is a popular firewood to use in heating homes all over
the Northeast, producing a hot, long lasting fire. Also known
as "Rock Maple" you enjoy it as the furniture for your
homes. So you can see how useful the maple tree is for us! The
trees reproduce quite well, but as they are a slow growing hardwood,
it takes 40-60 years to get one big enough to use for maple sugaring!
We benefit from the forestry practices of our grandparents, and
our grandchildren will benefit from ours. As in many types of
agriculture, sugaring is handed down from one generation to another.
Learning from the generation before is a time honored and old-fashioned
tradition. Keeping our youth interested and involved starts at
an early age. Children enjoy the outdoor aspects of the maple
industry. They learn early the many responsibilities on the farm.
They grow and develop mature views of work and understand better
what it takes to make a living in today's world. Working beside
your parents on the farm or in the sugarwoods was commonplace
all over New England until just a few decades ago. Nowadays it
is highly unusual for parents and children in the urban world
to do more than pass each other for a few minutes a day. More
and more people are abandoning the "rat race" atmosphere
of the urban areas and returning to the rural life. What was
once considered backward or old-fashioned is now highly promoted
as the "good life". Whatever you do or wherever you
live, you need to experience the wonders of Maple Sugaring just
once in your life! You may find, however, you are hooked for
life on this wonderful treat! Visiting a Vermont sugarhouse will
be a special treat - and while you're there try some Sugar-on-Snow!
A delightful old-fashioned treat!
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