There are plenty of resources available to learn and teach about the maple industry (see the sample provided) but the best way to get information is to talk directly to the producers. You can find some near you by visiting the NH Maple Producers Association website (www.nhmapleproducers.com),

the NH Made (http://www.nhmade.com/SubCatList.cfm?recordID=237) website or the NH Department of Agriculture, Markets and Food site (www.nh.gov/agric). I spoke with a few syrup makers to find out how the season has been going so far. The answers were as different as the regions and farms, which is a wonderful thing about agriculture in this state. Even within one industry there is a great deal of variety.

Hank Peterson has been making syrup in Londonderry at the Peterson's Sugar House for 30 years. He is a third generation producer. He admits his operation is relatively small, with about 800 taps, producing on average 125-130 gallons of syrup per year. Like many producers in the southern part of the state, Peterson tapped his trees before Valentine's Day, about two weeks earlier than usual. Because of the mild winter, the sap was already flowing when normally it would be frozen solid. He says it also seems to have lower sugar content this year.

Meanwhile at the Hutchinson's Sugarhouse in Canterbury they tapped their trees at about the same time as usual, and are still at it. They tap incrementally because they have some trees that are on sunny slopes that warm up sooner and others in lower valleys where it stays colder, according to Adrienne Hutchinson.  

At Pearl and Sons Sugar House in Loudon they put in 9500 taps this year. They collected enough sap to start boiling and finish their first batch of syrup on February 17th.  Through four generations of record keeping, this is the earliest they have ever started making syrup, by about a week.

Something else is different for the Pearls. Last year they installed a reverse osmosis (RO) filtration system which concentrates the sugar before the sap is boiled, reducing the time in the evaporator and amount of fuel used to about 1/6th of what they were doing in the past. With the cost of oil or the amount of work to gather firewood, fuel savings make a huge difference in this process. The other change they made was to use a vacuum pump system. This extracts the sap with a light suction, rather than just through gravity. This system increases the amount of sap which can be harvested from the trees, increasing production in a given season.

Tim Meeh at North Family Farm in Canterbury also uses a vacuum system on his 2100 taps and RO prior to boiling. The technology applied at their farm goes even further. The electricity needed for the RO and vacuum machines are generated from solar panels and a wind mill. Their tractor runs on bio-diesel which he makes from recycled cooking oil. Their goal is to have as small an impact on the environment as they can, while still producing a quality product from the land for local consumers.

Some farmers rely on tried and true methods that have changed little from their great grandparents' time, while others are embracing a more modern approach. Yet all the syrup producers that I talked to agreed on two things; they can't predict how this season will turn out; it all depends on the weather and they all do this because they love it. Robin Pearl said, "Like all farming, it's a labor of love, a fascinating transformation." According to Hank Peterson, "It gets in your blood. By April 15 you swear you'll never do it again, but come next January, we're always back down at the sugar house, it's a tradition."

Tradition indeed, and one that provides endless opportunities for learning, whether you are a child in the classroom or a seasoned farmer in the sap house, there is always something to learn. May your season be full of sweet new lessons.