Our delicate and delicious maple syrup comes straight off of our mountain and boiled in our sugar house. The tradition of making syrup has been passed down through generations of Vermonters. A lot of passion and hard work goes in to bring it from the trees to your table.

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2021: New Beginnings

2021 marks a new start for The Russell Farm as the oldest grandchild of Dave and Janet, Brandon, takes over the 5000 tap sugaring operation. Brandon is the next up and coming generation for the farm and graduated from the University of Vermont in May of 2020. As the farm goes through its transition process from Dave and Janet to Brandon, it was decided that the most logical place to start was the sugaring operation.

 

 

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The Process:

 

The process of turning maple sap into maple syrup has been a tradition that traces back to days before colonial settlers came west to New England. Today the process is different, the product is different, but the concept remains the same. Today we work to tame the woods and harvest a crop that is hard earned and provides a sweet reward.

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Sap Collection

 

The sap collection process is done primarily with buckets or lines. When Dave (Grandpa) was a boy, Percheron horses would tow a collection tank around and collect sap with buckets. Today, we use a sap collection system with lines and vacuum pump that pulls sap from over 5000 maple trees. Once the sap is collected, next comes the boiling process...

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The Boiling Process:

 

Boiling is the sweetest part of the sugaring process and takes careful precision. The sap goes through a series of steps to condense the sap down to syrup. It takes an average of 33 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup. Thats a lot of sap! the average tree produces 1/2 a gallon of syrup every year. Before the syrup is canned into food-grade barrels, the syrup must reach a temperature of 219° F, followed by an intense filtering process. This completes the boiling and canning process that brings syrup from our woods to your table.

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Though this is a simple explanation of our sugaring process, a lot was left out to accommodate some highlights that produce our product. If you would like to learn more, we encourage you to read

THIS ARTICLE for a deeper understanding of how maple syrup is  produced.

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