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Our 42nd Year!
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2017 Season Update
COLD! That is my description of the season to-date. We were tapped out
on February 27th and collected our first run on March 1st. We expected
to boil again this week but our buckets and holding tanks were frozen
with ice. Yes, sap freezes! The good news is there should be plenty of
sap to boil during our Open House next weekend, March 25th and 26th. We will be open from 10am to 4pm on both days.
We have made some nice flavorful syrup and have plenty available. The
blizzard and cold, cold nights may extend our season well into April.
We are optimistic for a normal season even though it is a bit late. As
written previously we did not tap early as others did. We still like to
wait until late February or early March when sap is sweeter. That
theory once again proved true, as the sap we collected was much sweeter
than others in the area have reported.
Hope to see you and your family soon!
Dean and Meg
February 2, 2017 – Ground Hog Day. He saw his shadow! It is
above average warmth as I write and some area producers have already
made syrup. Of course we are not tapped out yet as we believe it is
still early. Sap will run whenever there are freezing nights and
daytime temperatures above freezing. Even in November, December, and
January! Experience has taught us that the best time to tap is late
February. That is when the weather is consistent for good sap flows and
the sap has its highest sugar content. Producers who made syrup in
January complained that the sap was not very sweet and the syrup was
darker than anticipated.
Low sugar content in sap will make darker syrup.
Yes, this is our 42nd Year of maple syrup production here in Concord.
We are Concord’s oldest and only continuously operating sugarhouse. We
often wonder how many visitors we have had and how many thousands of
gallons of sap we have boiled to make Mother Nature’s sweetest liquid
in all those years. We really enjoy sharing our maple story with
visitors.
January gave us a wide variation of temperatures and what is known as a
January thaw. On the warm days we were able to clear storm damage from
existing sap lines and run whole new main lines in some of our woods.
We will continue to install new tap lines and expand our sugarwoods as
weather allows. On those bitter cold days between now and sap flow we
will spend time working in the sugarhouse setting up the evaporator and
other equipment for that first sap run!
We agree with the old saying that you are never too old to learn so we
attended the Vermont Maple School held in Northern Vermont last month.
One workshop on tubing sanitation confirmed our belief that clean
tubing makes for superior flavor in syrup. The labor-intensive method
of cleaning tubing that we have used forever still brings the most
positive results. We learned some new techniques on 3/16” tubing
installations and ways to enhance our gravity tubing system. We will
experiment with what we learned to make sap run uphill using natural
gravity.
The Vermont Maple School usually has a workshop on maple flavors.
Flavor is what sets maple apart from other sweeteners. Often,
cleaning chemicals are the reason for off-flavored maple syrup. Mother
Nature can also affect flavor. The workshop included tastings of
various off-flavored syrup samples with a discussion of preventative
measures. This was most informative.
It distresses us to see maple producers use re-purposed and non-food
grade equipment in maple syrup production. We will continue to use only
food grade, lead-free, and chemical free equipment in our maple
production. All of our maple equipment was purchased for the sole
purpose of making maple syrup and it is only used in maple production.
This year our Annual Open House Weekend is March 25th and 26th which is
the traditional Maple Weekend. Come see how our maple syrup is made,
filtered and packaged. Visit our quaint, yet modern, sugarhouse and
walk through the planted maple orchards. Watch the sap dripping
into buckets and traveling down the tubing network into the sugarhouse.
Sample our maple products including maple syrup, maple cream, sugar on
snow, and maple cotton candy. Enjoy the self-guided educational
orchard tour (bring your camera!). And as always feel free to ask
us questions. We love to tell people about maple!
If you are unable to attend the Annual Open House and wish to visit at
another time, please call to see when we will be boiling. We welcome
visitors throughout the season. When the sap is flowing we typically
gather sap in the morning and boil the sap in the afternoon to make
maple syrup.
A quick call to us will confirm what is happening (603-224-0820).
So watch the Concord, NH weather in later February and early March.
When nights consistently freeze in the 22°-26° range and days are 38°
to 46° you can be assured that our sugarhouse will be busy.
The maple season will soon be upon us. Don’t forget our Maple Weekend
is March 25th and 26th from 10 am until 4 pm. We look forward to seeing
you.
Come and have a Blast!
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Welcome
to Mapletree Farm. In 2017 we are celebrating our 42nd year of
producing quality NH-made maple from our sugarhouse in East Concord,
New Hampshire. Making maple syrup is a craft requiring skill, knowledge
and an eye for perfection. Combining practices passed down through the
generations with the latest technology available allows us to make
exceptional maple products, with a difference that you can taste. Maple
makes a great gift. We ship our products all over the world, and
will be happy to work with you on your order whether you are interested
in a gift for yourself, a loved one, or for unique corporate
promotions. We hope you come by and visit us during sugaring season to
see our
operation and our maple products. You can also check out our products
page to see the variety of authentic maple products available.
Sincerely, Meg and Dean Wilber
Open House Update!
Saturday, March 25, 2017
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As we picked up from the first day of Maple Weekend the sun started to
shine and the temperature warmed. Even the sap began to run. We could
not help but think of our many loyal customers who braved rain, snow,
and ice today to help us have a successful Open House. You are the
BEST. Many, many thanks from the Wilber family, Robert Saunders, and
our loyal helpers Helen Hayes and Michell Ford. We are savoring your friendship and wonderful comments this evening.
We hope that you enjoyed your visit to Mapletree Farm.
Dean & Meg
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Hours - By Appointment
We have farmers' hours. That is, when we are at the maple farm or
farmhouse we are open.
Unlike
larger
maple
producers
we
do
not
have
set
hours
at
our
farmhouse
store.
We
are
often
out
working
the
sap
lines,
cutting
firewood,
or
packaging
syrup.
We
are
glad
to
have
visitors
so
please let
us
know
in
advance
when
you
would like to come, by contacting us either by phone or email. We
will
confirm
that
we
are
around and looking forward to
your
visit.
603-224-0820
or
mapletreefarm@comcast.net |
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