Makin' Maple

Moving In!

2011-10-13T20:45:00.002-04:00

Is that a locomotive or maple syrup evaporator? I hope its an evaporator because this spring I'm going to need something to boil sap.

Our new Hurricane Force 5 arrived a few weeks ago and last week my dad and I spent the day moving the silver bullet from the Hardwood Mall warehouse over to our sugarhouse. The big challenge of the day was installing the 24ft of chimney. I talking about 15" diameter 304 stainless steel. This stuff is heavy. By 3 o'clock we had all 24' installed and after I got down off the roof and looked at the building from a distance I realized I will have to mount a light on the top of the chimney to warn low flying aircraft. We still have two steam chimneys to install but they are not nearly as tall. Once the rig is ready to fire, the man who developed the technology behind the gasification chamber will come to our sugar house and train me how to operate the evaporator. The leaves are changing and the air is cooler, soon the ground will be white with snow. Hopefully we will have a few nice days before winter sets in. I need to spend a few more hours on the roof and would prefer that it not be raining or snowing.

New Force 5

2011-05-20T21:33:00.004-04:00

Out with the old and in with the new. We've taken the plunge. 10 years ago we started with a used evaporator, when we built our new sugar house in 2007 we bought a bigger but still used evaporator. Later this summer we will be bring home a brand new Lapierre Force 5 (do a youtube search and see what this rig can do). The Force 5 is an innovation in wood fired evaporators. A conventional wood fired evaporator needs fired (filled with wood) every 5-7 minutes. Do this for about 12 hours and you can barely muster the strength to close your eyelids and fall asleep. The Force 5 uses gasification technology to achieve 90%+ efficiency. What does this mean? 45-60 minute between firebox reloads. 40% decrease in wood consumption. A carbon neutral evaporation process, the wood burned gives off less carbon than if it were left to decay in the woods. Not to mention this evaporator looks like a stainless steel rocket ship, cool! After the exceptional production year we decided that it would be best to put as much back into the business as possible to help build infrastructure for the years ahead. We are building a business we hope our grandchildren will have the opportunity to participate in.

10th Anniversay Trip

2011-05-06T21:02:00.003-04:00

June 2nd my wife and I will celebrate ten years of marriage. After 6 babies (one of whom is in heaven), countless loads of laundry, birthday parties, homework and all the rest that goes with raising a family we decided this anniversary was going to be special. I'm not sure how we decided on California but I think it had something to do with a few days of below zero temperatures and over a foot of snow this January. Wherever we were going it was going to be warm and sunny, we were not disappointed. To fund the trip we cashed in points on a credit card and saved for a few months. We shipped our older four children to my parents house (3 month old Helena made the trip with us) and headed for the Pittsburgh airport. We spent two days in San Fransisco and 2 days at Yosemite national park. The photo is of the three of us at the top of Yosemite Falls, it took 4 hours of steep climbing to get there but the view from the top was breath taking. Helena was the youngest to reach the summit that day! In the hustle and bustle of daily life you can lose track of one another and sometimes it takes leaving it all behind, if only for a few days, to just enjoy being with the one you love. Sitting together on the plane, resting along the trial on our way to the falls or watching the sunset over Yosemite Valley, are the moments I will remember most. Not so much because of where I was going or what I was watching but because of who I was doing it with. One thing is for sure I'm not waiting 10 more years to fall in love again.

2011 Season Under Way

2011-02-27T21:36:00.003-05:00

Despite a few set backs last week all four sugar bushes are on line and collecting sap. We finished tapping a few days ago and were waiting for some warmer weather to wake the trees up well today it was in the low 40's and the sap is a flow'n. My brother came in to set up the remote sap flow recording hardware but we are not getting a strong enough signal in the woods for the text messages to send. We are going to try moving the phone to a different location to see if that helps. We should be boiling in a day or two if all goes well. This first couple of days of the season is always hard on my nerves, so many things can go wrong. Once that first batch is in the jugs and everything is working I relax and start enjoying being a sugar maker again. No matter what happens Spring is right around the corner and that is always a cause for rejoicing.

Ready for a New Year

2011-01-03T11:26:00.003-05:00

2011 is hear and we are excited about the upcoming syrup season. Since November we have been working in the woods updating our tubing system. During the 2010 syrup season we did a small test with Leader Evaporators new Check Valve taps and we recorded dramatic sap flow increases over the rest of our non check valve taps. The check valve keeps sap from back flowing into the tap hole during cooling cycles which prevents micro organism growth from sealing off the pores in the tap hole. We just finished installing 1500 check valves at our largest sugar bush.

Another really exciting project we are working on is device that will send hourly text messages with data from the woods (this year it will tell us temperature and sap volume). After this season's test run we plan to have it turn our vacuum pumps on and off, and measure vacuum. My brother is a researcher in Penn States Seismic Geology dept. (or something like that) He designs and builds equipment to collect field data from ice sheets and volcanic regions around the world (literally he has been to China, Hawaii, Greenland, Ecuador, Portugal and is making his 3rd trip to Antarctica in a few weeks).

Thanks for another sucsessful year and we look forward to hearing from you in 2011.

Joseph

Our Week at Jennings Environmental Center

2010-03-30T20:50:00.003-04:00

For the past four years we have spent the third week of March at the Jennings Environmental Center's maple sugaring program. The center invites traditional schools, home schoolers and scout troops to sign up for a 1 hour maple sugaring crash course. The tour begins in the classroom where one of the rangers gives a talk about the biology, chemistry and physical make up of the beautiful maple tree. Students learn about the variety of maple species, how to identify a maple and what makes sap flow in trees. After the talk they go out on the maple trail and have first hand experience of tapping a tree and if the weather is right they see sap dripping into a bucket from a real sugar maple. Jennings has a small sugar bush and throughout the week have the evaporator boiling for the students to see and smell the sap boiling. After the last stop at the evaporator and a taste of the real thing (many of these students and adults think Mrs. Butterworths and Log Cabin is pure maple syrup) they can stop by our booth to purchase a variety of maple products. One of our best sellers in my wife's maple popcorn, and this year we made maple cotton candy (we made a few extra bags and are saving them for Easter). The staff at Jennings are very knowledgeable and provide seminars and classes throughout the year in on a variety of topics. One upcoming seminar thats sounds fun is about the benefits of bats and how to build your own bat house. As always we had a great year and plan to be back next year.

Is the season over?

2010-03-22T11:26:00.003-04:00

Due to unseasonably warm weather (we have not had a night below freezing in over a week) we are wondering if the 2010 season could be over. Yesterday it was beautiful and 70F, great for cleaning up the yard and getting the garden ready but not ideal for maple syrup producers. The 7 day forecast is predicting cooler temperatures by mid week but now the question becomes are the tap holes sealing off? As the season goes on the trees begin to seal the holes we drilled in the tree at the end of February, the warmer the weather the faster that process happens. Our hope is they can hang on for another 10 days but we can only wait and see. If the season ended today our crop would be about half what we usually produce. As any farmer can tell you, much depends on circumstances that are out of our control so the best you can do is prepare and hope for the best.

2nd Week in Review

2010-03-16T07:23:00.003-04:00

The second week of the 2010 maple season has been a bit of disappointment. The second week of March is typically the one of the biggest production weeks of the season (with only a 4 week harvest season every week counts). The temperatures shot right up into the mid 50's and by Thursday it was 63F. On the bright side our vacuum pumps have been working flawlessly and we have been collecting a slow but steady amount of sap. What does a vacuum pump do, you ask? The pressure differential between inside the tree and the outside atmosphere is what causes sap to flow from the roots up the trunk to the limbs and branches. When it freezes at night the pressure in the tree builds and when it warms up during the day the sap begins to flow. By using vacuum (we pull 22-23" inches) we create an area of low pressure around the tap hole and the tree continues to send sap to that area, which is then pulled into the collection tank. Because it has not been below freezing for over a week, without vacuum we would not be collecting any sap. This is exactly what we have found on the 700 trees we do not have on vacuum. We are hoping the taps hang in there through this next warm spell (it is supposed to be in the 50's until Saturday) because next week looks like better sap weather. On the brighter side my bother and his family made their annual trip home to help out for the maple season. They live outside State College PA, about 2 1/2 hours from us. We were able to cut and split some firewood and he hauled sap from on Saturday. Sunday before his and my father's birthday dinner we put new brakes on the truck. It never fails as soon as sugar season starts, my truck needs some kind of repair. The most costly was a new transmission in the middle of the 2008 season.

First Big Run of 2010 Season

2010-03-08T20:56:00.004-05:00

The past few days have been great maple syrup weather. Daytime temperatures have been in the low 40's and below freezing at night. We had our first boil of the year on Saturday (3/6). Today we hauled about 4000 gallons of sap and I plan to get started early in the morning, we should make about 100 gallons of syrup. We found a leaking tank last Wednesday and spent the rest of the day finding replacement tanks (in the picture below you can see the stainless tank in the back round, that is the one we had to abandon for this season. In the other photo, we are pumping sap from the holding tank in the woods. Back at the sugarhouse someone snapped a picture of me playing sudoku. One of my favorite past times while boiling syrup. The last shot is of our kids on a giant snow ball we made two weekends ago. Despite the sunny weather the snowball is still as tall a Jude our oldest son.

Off to bed for a good nights rest!

2010 Maple Season Underway

2010-03-01T13:56:00.004-05:00

The 2010 maple season is underway. We have not collected any sap yet (things look good for later in the week) but the tapping is all done. I started on Friday (2/19) and tackled my most difficult sugar bush. It is very steep and rocky, sometimes I'm scrambling up and down these hillsides on my hands and knees all the while carrying a gas powered drill on a strap around my neck. The next week my dad and I spent Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in the woods and finished up all 3300 taps just before another one of this winter's snow storms blew into the area. I have to say I am getting a bit anxious to get that first batch of sap in and boiled down.

Our New Jugs Have Arrived

2009-11-01T19:38:00.007-05:00

Since our first year of retail sales Old State Farms has purchased plastic jugs from a local supplier that can be used by any Pennsylvania maple producer. In the beginning this worked great because we could buy a few cases at a time and simply put our label on the jugs. As our business has grown we decided it was time to have jugs made with our own Old State Farms label. This is a big step in the world of maple syrup producers. For one it requires a significant capital investment (artwork charges, screens for the printing, minimum order of 20 cases of each size). Secondly you are now officially your own brand are held to higher quality standards. We welcomed the challenges of both and in October took a trip to New Hampshire to pickup our first order of jugs from the Bacon Jug company. We originally had a freight company lined up to deliver the jugs but when I heard it would cost $1500 I decided to go myself. My wife wasn't going to miss a chance to visit the White Mountains so at 3am on a Tuesday morning we packed the whole family in the truck and headed for Littleton NH, 12 hours later we loading the boxes on to the trailer. We spent the rest of the day enjoying Littleton which is home to Chutters candy store (it has the longest candy counter in the world, 112ft). I took advantage of the quite country roads and went for a relaxing bike ride. After breakfast on Wednesday we off headed for home. The trip home was bit unnerving for the for few hours, towing this albatross of cardboard, plastic wrap and cargo straps down the highway. After the first few looks of disbelief of my fellow travels on the highway I decided just to look straight ahead when cars went past. We made it home safe and sound and didn't lose any boxes in the process.

The Art of Pancakes

2009-09-05T07:57:00.001-04:00

Now that you have found the best Maple Syrup money can buy (ours of course) please don't even think of pouring it over a frozen waffle or pancake. Pancakes on Sunday, and Saturday morning if time permits, have become somewhat of a ritual, we've made many a batch by trial and error and have learned a few things along the way. Great pancakes are not complicated but do require attention to detail. We would like to share the key ingredients and techniques that will take you to the next level of pancake making.

Flour: There is no substitute for fresh ground flour but if you do not have your own flour mill get the freshest you can find. We use a combination of wheat and white flour. We also add a touch of corn meal to the mix.

Liquid: Buttermilk makes the best pancakes hands down. We also add a dollop of sour cream to enhance the flavor.

The Mixing process: Mixing should be kept to minimum. Stir the liquid into the dry ingredients with 7-10 gentle strokes, you will have lumps in the batter. Over stirring activates the gluten in the flour and will make the pancakes tough.

The Resting period: The batter should rest for 5-10 minutes while the skillet heats up. This allows the gluten to relax and moisten some of the lumps of flour in the batter.

The Recipe: (this has been adapted from Cooks Illustrated)

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup unbleached flour

1/4 cup cornmeal

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup whole milk

1/4 cup sour cream

2 eggs

In large mixing bowl combine dry ingredients (my wife makes mixes multiple batches of dry ingredients and stores them in an air tight container for a quick breakfast during the week).

Whisk eggs, add buttermilk, whole milk and sour cream, whisk until blended. Add liquid to dry ingredients, remember stir gently and as little as possible, some lumps should remain. Let the batter rest 5-10 minutes.

Boalsburg Memorial Day Festival

2009-05-29T05:10:00.000-04:00

For our 3rd year in a row we set up a booth at the Boalsburg Memorial Day Festival. The day starts with a 5k race (I have yet to compete) and continues with Civil War reenactments throughout the day. There are vendors selling a wide variety of hand made crafts, jewelry, pottery, leather goods and art. Our kids always enjoy the wagon rides through town and the petting zoo. They also have live music throughout the day and into the evening. My brother and his family live in town so we make a weekend of it and send the day on Sunday with his family. We plan on attending next year so if you live in the area mark your calander.

Low Impact Maple Production

2009-05-16T23:05:00.000-04:00

With everyone going "green" lately we have decided to highlight some of the ways we produce maple syrup and at the same time use methods that are environmently friendly. By the way we have been doing these things for years.
1. We use tubing instead of buckets to reduce our activity in the woods. All our sap flows to one main collection point, we do not have to travel through the woods with tractors or ATV's causing root compaction. New research also shows that galvanized buckets contain lead which can leach into the sap and the final product.
2. We use scrap wood from local sawmills as firewood, rather than cutting down living trees. Also our evaporator has air injection for the most complete burn possible. The smoke you see rising from a fire is a result of incomplete combustion. The smoke contains carbon that can still be burned for heat. By forcing air into the firebox we burn those gases and maximize heat output. Our evaporator is also outfitted with a steam hood. The steam hood traps the steam from the boiling sap and is used to preheat incoming fresh sap (aprx. 40F) to 200F before it enters the evaporator pans.
3. We do not use any chemicals to clean our tubing. We use household vinegar which as you know is an acid. As it sits in the sap lines through summer and fall is slowly breaks down the residue on the tubing walls and is flushed out at the beginning of the next season.
4. We use reverse osmosis to remove 75% of the water in the raw sap before the boiling process. Less water in the sap means less boiling time and this means less fuel consumed.

These are just a few of the small things we do to achieve or goal of producing pure maple syrup but at the same time having respect for the surroundings we work with.

Open for Business

2009-04-28T21:06:00.000-04:00

After two years of construction we have moved into our new store and are open for business. For years my father in law has wanted to build a retail outlet for his hardwood products (flooring, moldings, doors, etc). We started with an empty steal building and the finished product is sure to impress the most seasoned travelers. We actually took down a 100 year old barn and reconstructed it inside the building. The barn is complete with slate roof and copper flashing. The Hardwood Mall, as it is called, is a showcase of over 20 different species of wood. Our hardwood paneling covers most of the walls, and my brother-in-law who owns a hardwood floor installation business in Front Royal VA, installed over 8,ooo square ft of hardwood floors through out the Mall. We occupy a corner both and sell our maple products and butcher block as well as wooden toys, bowls, pottery, pepper mills and salt shakers. We are still adding products to our line up and I'm sure it will continue to change as we learn how to run a gift shop. The best part, everything in the Hardwood Mall & and our gift shop is American made. When I say that I mean good'ol made in the USA. All the furniture, rugs, hardwood products, gift shop products, kitchen cabnits, rocking chairs, doors, pictures, and whatever I missed is made in the USA. So stop and be proud of we still make in the USA.

2009 Maple Season Review

2009-04-17T09:22:00.000-04:00

The 2009 maple syrup crop is in. We had a good year making just shy of 900 gallons. The weather was not the greatest this season, temperatures were a bit high (50 and 60's rather than high 30's and 40's) but we carried on none the less. Our new vacuum station worked like a charm. In the past we used a 6 hp gas engine to run one of our vacuum pumps. After learning the hard way that small gas engines are not made to run for 36 hours straight we decided to go electric. This fall we had a power poll set and moved the station 600 ft so it would be right next to the road. We had a few equipment problems, we blew up a sap transfer pump on the first day, and someone stole a $500 generator out of the woods, but nothing catastrophic. We had quite a few new quests stop by the sugarhouse, it is always fun to have people who no little or nothing about pure maple syrup stop by. Some of them think maple syrup comes straight out of the tree others are surprised to learn Mrs. Butterworth and Log Cabin are just corn syrup with caramel coloring. We have moved into or new store so if you are traveling interstate 80 through Pennsylvania stop in for a taste.

Our First Post

2008-11-29T13:58:00.000-05:00

After some encouragement from family members we have decided to start a blog about our family's maple syrup business. Old State Farms is located in the northwestern part of beautiful Pennsylvania, Emlenton to be exact. We started making maple syrup, the year before we got married, in 2001 with 5 plastic buckets and 2'x2' stainless steel pan over an open fire. Seven years later we have 3200 taps and a 4'x12' commercial wood fired evaporator and we built a new sugarhouse in 2007, it's the building in the picture (a sugarhouse is the building where the sap from the maple trees is boiled down into maple syrup). We produce between 500 and 800 gallons of spring's sweet nectar each year. Among other things I plan to explain some of the details of how maple syrup is made, the equipment and methods used in the process, so if you are thinking of making maple syrup stay tuned. My wife is continually experimenting with maple syrup in the kitchen and if I can convince her to contribute to the blog she can share her advice for cooking with maple syrup.

Well that looks like a good start for now.

My brother-in-law was right, starting a blog isn't all that hard.

Joseph