Hi Cory,

The 2021 Maple Sugaring Season has proven yet again that maple farmers are at the mercy of Mother Nature. March is sugaring season in Vermont. As the saying goes, in like a lion and out like a lamb. 

That certainly describes this year! March started with a blizzard; temperatures stayed below freezing for the first eight days. Since then, we've had thirteen days that hit the fifties, sixties, and even the seventies. Some nights never dropped below freezing. That isn't conducive to sap flow. Apparently maple trees aren't fond of 'lions' or 'lambs' when it comes to weather. For the best sap flow, daytime temps are in the forties and night times are in the twenties.

The sugar content has also been low this year, possibly due to last year's drought. It generally takes 40-45 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup, but this year is was more like 65. The lower volume of sap and the lower sugar content has meant poor yields for many maple farmers. The farms we work with are reporting harvests of only 1/3 to 1/2 of the normal crop. There's a chance for more sap runs, but the lamb-like weather isn't helping.

Will there be a maple shortage? Not likely. Even if most small farms are down this year, the bulk buyers probably have excess since demand from restaurants has been down for the last year. Plus there's always the Canadian Maple Syrup Cartel. The last I knew, they had about 4 million gallons of syrup in storage which acts as a buffer to help regulate the world's maple supply from year to year.

In any case, if you want some of our delicious small-batch maple syrup, then grab it while we have it. It ships from the farms straight to you. It doesn't get more fresh than that!

Happy Spring!

Cory

PS There really is a syrup cartel! There was even a Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist about ten years ago. Nearly half a million gallons of maple syrup was stolen.... This sounds like the subject of an upcoming blog.

We were so pleased to be featured in the Seven Days! Thank you to Anne Wallace Allen. Click here to read the article. 

The Randolph Herald featured us on the front page! Thank you to Chris Gish. Click here to read the article. 

Why Use Glass Bottles? One of the reasons will shock you.

You've probably not thought much about the container that your maple syrup comes in. My wife can attest to the fact that I've thought about it a lot (perhaps just a little too much).

In the old days, all maple syrup was sold in metal tins. Nowadays, tin has given way to plastic jugs. Sometimes glass is used, but it's the exception and not the norm. Does it really matter? Absolutely!

I don't really understand the reasoning, but most maple syrup sellers charge an arm and a leg for glass. I do my best to keep our prices right on par with all of the other syrup, regardless of the container.

Maple syrup containers areas the topic of my latest latest blog. Click here to read the blog. The bottom line: all maple syrup should be packed in glass bottles - but one reason why is surprising.