The production of Maple Syrup on the Thurston Farm began as a hobby in the early 1950s. At that time the
family drilled holes by hand in the sugar maples on their farm, placed metal spiles in the holes, and hung
metal pails to collect the sap as it dripped from the trees each spring. The sap was collected in a large barrel,
then hauled on a sled between two work horses. Next it was dumped in a large container and boiled over an
outside fire. When it was almost to the right consistency, it was taken inside and boiled on the electric stove
until it became the right temperature to make maple syrup. Next it was bottled and stored in the cellar for the
family's use.
In the mid 1970s, modernization took place which made the process much easier and the number of trees
tapped much larger. At this time plastic tubing was used. The holes were drilled with a gasoline drill, and
plastic tubing was strung from tree to tree. The tubing meandered through the maple grove and ended in
large containers at specific locations. Sap from many trees flowed through the tubes to the collection areas.
Here, a tractor or a snowmobile hauling huge barrels would collect the sap.
family drilled holes by hand in the sugar maples on their farm, placed metal spiles in the holes, and hung
metal pails to collect the sap as it dripped from the trees each spring. The sap was collected in a large barrel,
then hauled on a sled between two work horses. Next it was dumped in a large container and boiled over an
outside fire. When it was almost to the right consistency, it was taken inside and boiled on the electric stove
until it became the right temperature to make maple syrup. Next it was bottled and stored in the cellar for the
family's use.
In the mid 1970s, modernization took place which made the process much easier and the number of trees
tapped much larger. At this time plastic tubing was used. The holes were drilled with a gasoline drill, and
plastic tubing was strung from tree to tree. The tubing meandered through the maple grove and ended in
large containers at specific locations. Sap from many trees flowed through the tubes to the collection areas.
Here, a tractor or a snowmobile hauling huge barrels would collect the sap.
It was then transported to the sugar house, which was a small building built specifically for the boiling of maple syrup.
Inside the sugar house was a large firebox on which was an evaporator. The evaporator was essentially a large pan
with sections. Each section led to another, and as the sap got hot and thickened, it moved through the succession of
compartments. When it got to the last section, it was watched carefully until it reached 219 degrees Fahrenheit, the
temperature at which sap turns to syrup of the perfect consistency. Some of this was used by the family, and some was
sold to people in the area.
Through the years, the number of trees tapped has increased substantially. The web of tubing has grown, and all the
sap flows to one central point, where it is gathered by a bulldozer hauling a large plastic gathering tank. It is still boiled
in the same sugarhouse by the same process over a hot wood fire, thus capturing a little bit of the past bottled in the
sweet maple syrup. Later, when it poured over hot pancakes, one can almost visualize a pastoral scene of horses
trudging through the snow, the metal pails hanging on the sugar maples, and one gets a sense that the past is not
really that far away.
Inside the sugar house was a large firebox on which was an evaporator. The evaporator was essentially a large pan
with sections. Each section led to another, and as the sap got hot and thickened, it moved through the succession of
compartments. When it got to the last section, it was watched carefully until it reached 219 degrees Fahrenheit, the
temperature at which sap turns to syrup of the perfect consistency. Some of this was used by the family, and some was
sold to people in the area.
Through the years, the number of trees tapped has increased substantially. The web of tubing has grown, and all the
sap flows to one central point, where it is gathered by a bulldozer hauling a large plastic gathering tank. It is still boiled
in the same sugarhouse by the same process over a hot wood fire, thus capturing a little bit of the past bottled in the
sweet maple syrup. Later, when it poured over hot pancakes, one can almost visualize a pastoral scene of horses
trudging through the snow, the metal pails hanging on the sugar maples, and one gets a sense that the past is not
really that far away.
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