Vermont Maple History and Goodrich Maple Farm History.

Our Story

Our Story

Maple syrup was known to the Native Americans as Sinzibukwud and was processed for centuries before Europeans arrived. They made a coarse granulated sugar that was kept in a basket or a bag and was used for cooking & bartered.    Early settlers were taught how to boil the sap by friendly indigenous tribes.  The europeans brought with them the first leap in technology,  iron kettles. Later, as metalworking developed, the use of flat pans over a 3 sided stone arch was the common method for boiling sap.  Now we use welded Stainless Steel, high efficiency evaporators that can be fueled by wood, propane or fuel oil.  Generations of heritage & tradition go into making each gallon of our Award Winning Pure Vermont Maple Syrup and Confections.

Vermont Maple History and Goodrich Maple Farm History.

The Goodrich and Abbott families of East Cabot came over in the 1600’s into the Massachussetts area, gradually worked & farmed their way north along the Connecticut river valley and eventually settled this valley in the late 1700 to early 1800’s. Located in the lovely farming community along the headwaters of the Winooski River by Molly’s Pond, we sugar on the family farm and surrounding area of pristine forests and breathtaking views. While other members of the family now handle the dairy farm, we focus mainly on the Maple Sugaring. Sugaring and farming have been intertwined in New England agriculture and have a huge impact in the rural areas of Vermont. Maple syrup plays a huge part of the economy in the state of Vermont.

Glenn’s grandfather passed away in 1971 and for a time the “sugar place” was unused.  After we married in 1977, we built our home in Cabot.

We started with 25 trees in the back yard, boiling on a 2’x2′ pan over a wood fire.  Now we tap over 150,000 trees with one of the most technologically advanced systems in the US.  We design sugaring equipment for several major maple equipment manufacturing companies.  We are continuing to teach at seminars in Vermont and other states to help other sugarmakers learn about increasing their production & quality.    We especially enjoy mentoring young sugarmakers & instilling a love for the craft in them.  We have won hundreds of awards for our syrup & maple products, at last count there were 520 ribbons on the beams around the showroom.  The next generation is now winning on the judges table too!  We have been the recipients of:  Young sugarmaker’s award (back in the day), the Sugarmaker of the year award, Vermont Centennial Farm award, The Washington County Farm Bureau Wallace award, and just recently the Lifetime Achievement award from the Vt. State Sugarmakers Association.  And many more!

Our maple sugaring season begins in early March and runs thru mid-April. Days with temperatures just above the freezing mark and frosty cold nights make the sap run. It is a very busy time with lots of long nights in the sugarhouse.  We currently tap 150,000 maple trees in the areas surrounding our 2 sugarhouses. We specialize in high quality maple syrup and maple products. At 2% sugar content, it takes 44 gallons of maple sap to make one gallon of maple syrup. Maple syrup has 50 calories per tablespoon compared to corn syrup which has 60 calories per tablespoon.  It is also loaded with antioxidants and essential minerals.

Who’s Who?

Glenn and Ruth Goodrich own and operate the sugarhouse.    You may see our extended family around the sugarhouse or in the kitchen making maple products.  Ruth oversees the operation of the Cabot sugarhouse while Glenn is operating our larger facility in Eden, Vt.    Our eldest daughter Michelle does all the sap hauling and is our chief confections production specialist.   Our newest family member Emma is our chief taste tester!

Production Practices

We carefully manage our trees and care and attention to enhance their health. Trees are thoughtfully and selectively thinned to promote vitality. Food grade, specially designed tubing is used to collect the sap.  This method is low impact to the environment and eliminates damage to tree trunks and root systems by eliminating the need for roads & vehicles in the grove.   This method is a fast & efficient way to collect the sap.  Tubing is placed about 5′-6′ off the ground to allow passage of wildlife in the summer months, thus no interruption to their habitat. This sap gathering system is carefully cleaned and maintained to provide a sanitary collection method. Dairy grade stainless steel tanks or food grade poly tanks are used to temporarily store and transport the sap. Maple syrup processing is done as quickly as possible to produce the finest quality product. No harmful chemicals are used on the trees, the collection lines or during processing. Nothing is added to the sap, the sugar occurs naturally in the tree. No fertilizers or chemical sprays are applied in the sugar woods. The finished maple syrup is carefully graded & packaged according to strict Vermont state standards of color, flavor and density, then hot packed into clean, high quality food grade plastic and glass containers in our own packaging room. We blend new technology with time proven methods to bring you the very best quality products.

We welcome you to visit our Sugarhouse and Gift Shop anytime of the year, but especially during boiling time.