Local producers ramp up for Maple Weekends

WEST CHAZY | It was a brisk Wednesday afternoon when Wayne Brow stood watch, clad in a thick green button-down and blue jeans, over a vat of boiling caramel-colored liquid. Brow's latest batch of maple syrup was almost done, he said, peering over the edges of the stainless steel evaporator as steam rose through the room. He pulled a small sample of sweet syrup from the batch and handed it over, pointing out its the dark hue. "This process is what gives the syrup its color," he said, gesturing toward the evaporator. This is the real thing — warm, fresh North Country syrup, closer to honey than the sickly-sweet corn-syrup concoctions found at most grocery stores. Over 178 maple producers all around the state, like Wayne Brow, will open their doors to visitors as part of this month's Maple Weekends. Everything from pancake breakfasts to tours to sap-collecting classes are slated throughout 45 counties. "The experience of tasting and smelling maple syrup as it is being made is something everyone should experience," said New York State Maple Producers Association Executive Director Helen Thomas in a statement. "The farmers in New York who make maple syrup spend days in the cold woods getting ready to make this delicious crop, and they love to share the whole experience with you. Kids will remember seeing maple being made their whole life!" An estimated 400,000 visitors are expected to participate in events this year, according to the governor's office. NEW YORK GROWN & CERTIFIED Brow's Sugar House is a relatively rural syrup operation on the outskirts of West Chazy, a small company that's seen significant growth over the last 40 years. When Brow started, he only oversaw 300 tree taps. Now, alongside his son Mark, the family presides over 10,000 trees on two acres of land. That translates to around 3,000 gallons of syrup every season, Brow said. Just this year, Brow met all the requirements for and received an official New York State Grown & Certified designation for his products. This designation was only recently expanded to include maple products, something that Brow personally lobbied for. "Maple production in New York is thriving once again and it continues to be a driving force for this state's agricultural industry," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement. "Expanding the New York State Grown & Certified program to include maple means we can promote more of New York's finest producers, connect consumers to high-quality products, and support the growth of local communities across the state." Brow joins just 14 others in the state with this state certification. SYRUP CHEMISTRY As Wayne finished up his latest batch of syrup, Mark Brow worked on the beginnings of another in the backroom. Tubes of viscous clear liquid ran from trees outside into the back of the building, an intricate vacuum system emptying gallons and gallons of sap into an enormous metal vat, where a reverse osmosis process began to separate the sugar and water molecules. It generally takes 40 gallons of this sap just to make 1 gallon of syrup, Mark said. As a state certified grower, the Brows must participate in an environmental management program that promotes sustainability and keeps forests healthy and productive. From their 10,000 trees, they make sure they only harvest a certain amount of sap each season to ensure the trees stay healthy. Even with those guidelines, the Brows still produce a large amount of syrup each season. "We make more syrup than we can get rid of sometimes," Mark joked, pulling a barrel of syrup out of his way. The maple industry hit a 73-year record in the 2017 season with the production of 760,000 gallons of maple syrup, an increase of 7.5 percent from the previous year, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. Maple production has doubled, increasing by 400,000 gallons, or 111 percent since 2012. According to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service, New York's maple production constituted about 18 percent of the national total. The number of maple taps also continues to climb, with more than 2.65 million taps in production in 2017, the highest number of taps since 1944. Brow's Sugar House will be open on both Maple Weekends, March 17-18 and March 24-25, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Find them at 89 Sugarbush Dr. in West Chazy.

Signup for our newsletter

Local producers ramp up for Maple Weekends

COMPANY

CUSTOMER SUPPORT

SUBMISSION FORMS

BEYOND THE NEWS